Chance Encounters
by barricades-of-red
Summary: Two strangers, connected only by a mutual friend. Eponine and Enjolras had never spoken before but after a chance meeting one day they found themselves in each other's company more and more. Could it be that these encounters were purely coincidence or was something bringing them together for a reason? Canon era. E/E.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Bakery

**A/N Hey guys, thanks for reading this, I just have a few things I'd like to say about it before I leave you alone. Firstly, I've tried to make things as factual and correct as possible but I'm sorry if I make any mistakes. Secondly, I'm aware that Eponine would not speak nearly as poshly as I've written her but I feel that it disrupts the writing and the reading if I try and write her dialogue as slang. And lastly, it is canon but it's obviously an AU so I've changed some things around slightly to suit my story. I'll go now then.. Enjoy!**

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><p>Eponine awoke to the sound of birds calling around her welcoming in the new morning and the heavy crashing of the water moving past her in the Seine. She sat up quickly and immediately regreted the action as her head collided with a low hanging beam supporting the bridge she had spent the night sleeping under. Sighing, she shuffled out from the darkness under the bridge and pulled herself up the bank beside her before turning to look out across the city she'd grown to love so much.<p>

Having grown up in Montfermeil the sudden move to Paris when her family's inn was forced to close down had come as a shock to the system for Eponine however as she spent more time there her childish insticts led her to explore the hidden treasures of the city and now as an adult she knew her way around better than almost anyone she knew.

This, of course, had made her a valued member in her father's gang and she often found herself standing at one end of a street keeping an eye out for the law while the rest of the gang robbed a house at the other end. Being a look out for one of the most notorious gangs in Paris was never Eponine's first choice in life but she wasn't stupid, she knew that leaving the gang before she had a real plan and way of guaranteeing her safety would be a bad move as she'd easily be tracked down and forced to do even worse than she currently was.

So that is how she ended up under the bridge that night, after a slightly less successful than hoped robbery her father was in a bad mood and Eponine knew to steer clear of the man when he was not pleased, so having wondered through the streets alone for a few hours, Eponine made her way to Le Pont au Change and settled down there for the night.

Stretching to regain feeling in her fingers and toes, Eponine decided to walk into the heart of the city in search of some breakfast. The day was still young and very few people would be about at this hour so she would easily be able to make her way around without the disapproving looks of the bourgeoisie. She placed her hand into the pocket of her tattered old brown rags that had once been a beautiful yellow dress that her mother had bought her when she was younger. Now though it was tight, uncomfortable and had not been washed in years, leaving it a sickly brown colour. Pulling her hand back out she revealed the 2 shining coins that she had pick pocketed from a rather large and very oblivious gentleman the day before. Eponine decided that rather than giving the money over to her father as she knew she should she would use it to buy a loaf of bread - after all her father couldn't miss what he never had.

She took her time to go the bakery, wondering aimlessly through the streets, looking up at all the buildings which continued to fascinate her due to their intricate detail and beauty, though she'd seen them so many times before. Eponine always did have an eye for the beauty in everyday life, something which she'd picked up from her mother as a young child. When they'd lived in Montfermeil Eponine had been spoilt for choice regarding clothes and while she'd never decline the offer of a new dress or bonnet she'd still always keep hold of her older ones and late at night when the inn had finally fallen quiet she'd sneak downstairs to retrieve her mother's sewing kit then return upstairs and stitch on elegant patterns which would make her clothes look new and beautiful again. She knew now that everyone in the household knew she did this, though at the time she thought she was being so secretive - looking back on it she understood why she'd often been referenced to as 'lady Eponine' by her parents and regular visitors. She had no problems with this nickname, however, and would often call herself it whilst playing games with Azelma where they'd be a lady and a gentleman waltzing together at a fancy ball being held by the king in Paris.

The sound of hooves woke Eponine from her childhood fantasies as she threw herself against a wall in time for a carriage to rattle past her and continue on towards the entrance of the university just ahead of her. Kicking a stone, along the dusty street at the carriage, Eponine mumbled to herself about how she could have been a student, all previous happy thoughts now banished from her mind as she thought of the state she lived in now.

Upon reaching the door to the bakery she stopped her complaining and lifted her head to smell the gorgeous scent of the freshly baked bread drifting out into the street. As she looked through the window her spirits lifted instantly when she saw Marius standing by the counter. She quickly smoothed out her skirt and flattened down her hair with her hand in an attemp to make herself look a little more presentable.

"Morning Marius" She said as she pushed the door open and stepped inside the shop.

"Oh Eponine, good morning to you too, how are you today?" He replied in a friendly tone, something Eponine was forever grateful for as Marius had always treated her as equal to himself though they both knew they lived completely different lives.

"Eh, can't complain, yourself?"

"I'm very well actually, Enjolras and I are just picking up some pastries before we head to class" He said motioning to the other man standing next to him who curteously nodded his head to acknowledge her.

"Oh bonjour Monsieur Enjolras" She greeted him.

"Mademoiselle" He said, nodding again. At this Eponine blushed, she did so love being referenced to as Mademoiselle, it didn't happen very often.

While the baker placed the boys' pastries in a paper bag for them to take and Marius handed over his money Eponine looked down at the floor, occaisionally sneaking a glance at Monsieur Enjolras. She'd seen him on a couple of occasions before, usually with Marius, but this was the first time they'd spoken. He was a lot more formal than Marius, he held himself much straighter and he seemed much less talkative than her friend and, though she assumed they were the same age, the slight scowl which had always been present on Enjolras' face whenever she had seen him made him look older.

"Eponine?" She heard Marius' voice say beside her, "we have to go to class now, have a nice day."

"Oh au revoir Marius, you too, and you Monsieur Enjolras." At the mention of his name Enjolras stiffened and began to leave the shop.

"Au revoir Miss Eponine." He said quietly as he passed her.

Once they'd left the shop Eponine watched the two of them walk down the street to the university as Marius gave Enjolras a playful shove on the shoulder only to be returned by Enjolras throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation at his friend before appearing to launch into a passionate discussion, waving his arms around again as he made his point while Marius continued to walk beside him, shaking his head. Eponine couldn't help but giggle at the strange scene she was watching before her.

"Mademoiselle?" The baker said as he cleared his throat on the other side of the counter, "Can I get you anything?"

"Oh oui Monsiuer, please may I have one of those gorgeous smelling baguettes you bake so well?" She said fluttering her eyelashes slightly, being the daughter of a conman she knew a few tricks to get her own way.

Laughing, the man replied, "Of course you can and as you are so complimentary I shall throw in an apple pastry for free." Eponine congratulated herself, her little plan had worked and now she not only had food for herself but also a little something for Gavroche and his boys.

After handing over her money and taking her paper bag of delicious food she left the shop, calling words of thanks for the baker as she did so before she hurried off to the large elephant statue on the Place de la Bastille where her brother and his friends lived.

"Gavroche!" She called up from the base of the giant statue.

"Who goes there?" I voice shouted from the other side of the leg she was leaning against, startling her. "Oh hi 'Ponine!"

"Hello Thomas" She replied to the younger boy who was now standing infront of her. "Is my brother up yet?"

"I've not seen him yet, I'll run up and get him!"

"Merci Thomas!" She called after him as he scampered up the little rope ladder that hung down the side of the elepant's leg.

A few moments later a rather sleepy looking Gavroche appeared at the top of the ladder looking rather annoyed until he spotted his sister waiting on the ground for him.

"Mornin' Ep!" He said as he descended the ladder to reach her side.

"Morning Gav" She chuckled whilst ruffling his hair "I brought breakfast for you and the boys." She told him as removed the baguette from her paper bag and broke it into two sections before placing the smaller one back in and handing the bigger bit to him.

"Thanks Ep you're the best" He smiled as he flung his arms around her before he quickly let go and shouted up at the elephant. "Boys, 'Ponine brought breakfast!"

Eponine looked up at the hole the boys used as an entrance to see the smiling faces of the 5 little boys her brother had taken under his wing and looked after.

"Thanks 'Ponine" They all chorused down to her before running down the ladder as fast as they could to get their share of the bread.

"Have a good day boys, I'll see you all later." She said before giving her brother another hug and turning to leave the Place de la Bastille.

"Oh Ep?" Eponine turned around to see Gavroche running up behind her.

"Say hi to 'Zelma will you? I haven't seen her in a while."

"Of course I will Gav."

"Tell her she's welcome at the Palais de l'elephant any time." He called triumphantly while running back to the boys to get some bread.

Eponine laughed a little at her brother's naming of their rat infested home as a palace and began to think of her own dreams of royalty again as she made her way home.

That night Eponine found herself back outside the bakery where she had encountered Marius and Enjolras earlier that day but this time she was accompanied by Montparnasse as the two of them stood at one end of a small road on the other side of the main street while her father pushed Babet and Brujon up through the window of a large house at the other end.

Smiling, Eponine stared over the road at the bakery and remembered her conversation with Marius and her first proper encounter with Monsieur Enjolras. He was a little odd but she was sure he was nice, after all Marius seemed to spend a lot of time with him and as far as Eponine knew Marius kept very good company.

"Ep what are you smiling at? You look like an idiot" Montparnasse asked from beside her.

"Huh? I'm not smiling at anything." She shot back quickly. She was not a fan of Montparnasse's company and so made a point of speaking with him only when necessary.

It had not always been that way however, for when they had lived in Montfermeil the two young children had been quite good friends, 'Parnasse would often take the place of Azelma in their imaginary games where he would be a prince and she a princess and they would live happily ever after. Though after 'Parnasse's parents left the boy with the Thenardiers when they moved away he discovered her father's 'business plans', as he called them, and by the time they moved to Paris he had become a full member of the gang and was no longer the fun loving little boy she had grown up with so she no longer wished to be his friend.

"Whatever you say, how about you come back to mine tonight and I'll make you smile?" He asked in a sickening tone. Eponine had become used to this side of him too, he had been known to pay her father for her company in the past and she often found herself trying to make excuses to get out of spending the night with him.

"No merci 'Parnasse, perhaps another night." She replied, not even bothering to construct a proper argument.

"What's wrong with tonight 'Ponine? Come on, it will be fun."

"No Montparnasse, I do not wish to sleep with you tonight."

"I don't care whether you 'wish to' or not, you will you little slut."

"I said no Montparnasse, what don't you understand about that?" She said raising her voice slightly but being careful not to shout so not to alert her father to their argument. At that moment she heard footsteps running towards them and she turned her attention to whoever it was.

"Run. Quick. Someone woke up in the house. It won't be long before the police are around here!" Her father shouted at them through gritted teeth as he sprinted past, quickly followed by Babet and Brujon.

Eponine took no objection to running away at that moment and sprinted off in the opposte direction to the others, escaping confrontation with Montparnasse. She ran quickly through the streets, her feet carrying her down various alleys until she was stood beside the same bridge as she had spent the previous night under. She sat on the cold ground, slid her small body under the beams and pressed herself back into the wall of the bridge before she closed her eyes, allowing herself to succumb to sleep.

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><p><strong>AN Hope you liked it so far, my updates will probably be every few days so keep an eye out. In the mean time though leave me a review with any of your thoughts. Thanks :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - The Library

**A/N second chapter is here guys! I just thought of something else I wanted to say about this, basically I've had to write the whole story on wordpad so as a result I can't add any accents to any names or words so I apologise for Eponine's name having no accent throughout.**

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><p>Living basically on the streets of Paris Eponine found that something different happened every day, no two days ever repeated in her life, something that someone with a creative mind such as Eponine was glad of. Some things would always be the same, such as the fact that she would likely go without a proper meal and that she'd have to work for her father but other things such as where she would go and who she would see always remained a mystery.<p>

A few days on from her two nights under the bridge Eponine awoke early in the morning and stretched herself out on the small bed she shared with Azelma before she quietly stood up and crept out the door, being careful not to wake her sister or anyone else who was in the house. Once she was out the front door she stood in the hallway of the apartment building and began to plan her morning. As she did so she heard a door open and close again a little way down from where she was standing.

"Eponine, you're up bright and early." She heard Marius say as he approached her.

"The city won't see itself Marius." She replied shrugging.

"'Ponine you do say some funny things, you out of everyone must of seen the city the most." Eponine found herself blushing slightly at his use of her nickname.

"There's always something new Marius, and you won't see it unless you look." She said as the two of them began walking down the steps to the front of the building.

"Well I hope you find something today, I'll keep an eye out too and let you know what I find." He said with a slight chuckle as they stepped onto the cobbled street.

"You'll be as good as me in no time." Eponine loved this jokey friendship she had with Marius, besides her sister he was her first real friend.

"Perhaps I will 'Ponine, I'd best be off now though, have a good day."

"You too Marius, I'll see you around."

"Yes, goodbye Eponine." He said as he waved and walked off in the opposite direction.

Eponine turned and began to walk along the dusty streets, kicking a pebble along as she did so whilst humming a tune she had heard her sister singing the day before and losing herself in her thoughts as she always did when she walked around the city.

Having walked down street after street, through alleyways, over bridges and through the Jardin des Plantes Eponine found herself stood outside the library. Though she was poor she was not completely uneducated and was able to read the basic books that she had had as a child. After she moved to Paris she would often journey to the library and aimlessly rome the aisles of shelves trying to read as many of the book titles as she could and occasionally she would pick one up and sit down to read it, not emerging from the large stone building for hours after she'd intently pored over every word from cover to cover, absorbing as much of the information as she could understand, a look of concentration plastered across her face throughout.

Today was no different to any of these other 'book days' as Eponine had come to call them over the years she had been going there for. She stood outside and marvelled up at the intricate detailing chiselled into the stone of the building, above the door and all around her. However, today was slightly different in that she not only saw hoards of strangers passing her as they bustled into the library or knocked into her as they hurried off to wherever they were going but today she saw a face she recognised and it was not until she was stood right outside the door that she realised she had followed the unmistakeable mop of golden hair up the steps towards the building.

Not wishing to alert Enjolras to her presence for fear of him not recognising her or worse yet, recognising her and accusing her of stalking him, Eponine quietly made her own way into the library and assured herself it would do no harm to simply end up in the same section as him. It wasn't until she realised he was making his way to the law section of the library that she saw the obvious flaw in her plan.

As he walked with purpose down an aisle of books and began to create a pile in his arms Eponine tried to keep him in her sights as she walked down another aisle nearby. He took his large stack over to a table and sat down, the usual scowl ever present on his face, and Eponine realised he would be there some time so she began her usual proceedure of reading titles.

She spent the next hour strolling up and down between the bookshelves reading as many titles as she could and becoming increasingly more confused about law and politics whilst also checking on Enjolras' progress every few minutes. After this first hour was up she decided to walk over to his table and wish him a good morning as that was the polite thing to do when one bumped into someone they knew.

She made one final scan of the bookshelf before picking up a book about Robespierre (she wasn't entirely sure who he was though she had heard the mention of his name before and thought he could be interesting to read about) and made her way over to where Enjolras was sitting.

"Good morning Monsieur." She said curteously (and quietly, remembering she was in a place known for its aversion to noise) as she took a seat across the table from him and placed her book down.

"Oh good morning Mademoiselle, Eponine was it?" He replied and Eponine noticed the scowl soften a little for a second before it returned.

"Yes Monsieur it is Eponine." She said, slightly blushing again.

"Well Miss Eponine, if you forgive me asking, what brings you here to the library with a book about such a great revolutionary leader?"

"I don't mind you asking at all, I often come here and spend some time reading the book titles, it's a good way to pass a day you see." She said and he nodded, seemingly a little confused by a gamine's interest in books but not interfering further nevertheless. "As for the book about the revolutionary leader," she continued, having to quickly come up with an excuse, "my brother mentioned something about him the other day so I thought I should make myself a little more knowledgeable on the subject in order to have a conversation with him."

"I see, your brother is one of the young boys who lives in the elephant on the Place de la Bastille is he not?" He asked and took Eponine by surprise by his knowledge of her brother.

"Yes that's Gavroche, how do you know him?"

"Ah oui Gavroche, sorry his name slipped my mind. He often accompanies a friend of mine, Courfeyrac, to our meetings at the Cafe Musain and I have heard the mention of your name from him before."

"Oh I have heard of Courfeyrac, Gavroche speaks very highly of him, I hope he is not a bother at your meetings." Eponine said in a slightly questioning tone.

"Oh no he's no bother, he's very bright and enthusiastic actually, he'll go far I think."

"I like to think so too, perhaps he shall make more of himself than I have." She said, sighing sadly.

"You still have plenty of oppurtunities Miss Eponine, it is thinking negatively of the situation and closing down any hopeful thoughts that blocks progression. You have just as much chance as I or any other person in this city, all you have to do is act on any problem you face and you will likely be able to overcome it." He said, becoming more and more passionate as he spoke. "I would suggest taking this book out and reading of Robespierre."

"Oh I would love to take a book out but unfortunately I do not hold a library account here."

"Then you shall come with me and I shall take the book out for you."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to cause any inconvenience for you-" She began.

"It is no inconvenience for me Mademoiselle, it pleases me greatly to have introduced you to the wonderful world of revolutionary France." He said standing up and adding her book to the pile of books before him and heading to the desk where would be able to sign for the books he was taking out.

After Enjolras had signed for the books and Eponine had thanked him continuously all the way to the main entrance they stood together at the top of steps, overlooking all the people bustling about before them.

"I must thank you again for your great kindness Monsieur Enjolras." Eponine said turning to him.

"It really is no trouble Mademoiselle, I only ask that you report back to me with your opinion of this great hero."

"I shall as soon as I finish, no doubt I shall see you around with Marius or perhaps I shall accompany Gavroche to one of your meetings sometime."

"I am sure that if you enjoy reading this book then you shall find one of our meetings very interesting and so I would implore you to attend one."

"Perhaps I shall then, thank you again Monsieur, I must be leaving now." She said beginning to descend the steps.

"Au revoir Mademoiselle."

"Au revoir Monsieur." Eponine replied and skipped down the rest of the steps clutching onto her book.

When she reached the bottom she looked back up to see Enjolras still stood still stood at the top looking down after her and for the second time that day she noticed the scowl had softened slightly.

That night when Eponine returned from her day exploring the city she found the apartment was almost empty apart from Azelma sitting on the end of their shared bed using the window as a mirror and trying to comb her fingers through her hair to remove some of the tangles.

"Bonsoir 'Ponine, where have you been today?" She asked when Eponine sat down behind her on the bed.

"Exploring." She shrugged.

"You're always exploring you are." Azelma replied, turning to face her sister.

"There's always more to explore."

"I told Papa you'd say that earlier when he asked where you were and he said he'd send you to explore a house for him tomorrow night."

"I don't mean that kind of exploring 'Zelma." Eponine said firmly.

"I know that but you know what Papa's like, any way to find more money. He's gone out tonight with Brujon and Claquesous to find the perfect house to attack, I'd make sure you're in tomorrow night if I were you or you'll be in deep trouble."

"Don't worry 'Zelma I know better than to disappear when Papa's planning an attack."

"Good." She said turning back to the window and placing her hands back in her hair.

"Here, let me do that for you." Eponine offered and she placed her book down beside her and began to run her fingers through her sister's hair.

"What's this?" Azelma asked picking up the book. "Ro. Robe-ess. Robe-ess-peer?"

"Robespierre." Eponine said simply. "A friend of Gav's lent it to me."

"A friend of Gav's? Not one of those student boys he follows around?"

"Yes actually, they're very nice 'Zelma."

"I'm sure they are but they have no real interest in our lives 'Ponine."

"They care for Gavroche so they obviously do." She replied sharply, a little annoyed at her sister's dismissal of Enjolras' kindness.

"Ok if you say so 'Ponine"

"I do say so and I stand by that." She said defiantly. "Oh by the way I saw Gav the other day and he told me to say hi and that you should go visit him sometime."

"Perhaps I will tomorrow after I've visited Luc."

"Is Luc this week's crush?" Eponine asked giggling, her sister was known to meet a different boy each week and believe she had fallen in love and would spend the rest of her life with whoever it was.

"It's different this time Ep, I think he really could be the one. He works on that little flower stall outside the Jardin du Luxembourg." Eponine rolled her eyes at her sister saying this new boy could be 'the one'.

"Yes I know flower stall, you could easily visit Gavroche after you've been there, I know he'd love to see you."

"Mais oui I think I shall go see him tomorrow, are you done with my hair?" She asked.

"Yes, the main knots are out, you can get the smaller ones yourself."

"Thank you 'Ponine, I'm going to bed now, have fun reading your book."

"It was no trouble ma petit soeur, I think I shall take my book to Monsieur Marius' along the hall and read it there so as not to disturb you."

"Ok then, I shall see you in the morning as I would advise you to stay out for the night to save yourself from encountering Papa on his return."

"Yes, good plan 'Zelma. Goodnight."

"Goodnight 'Ponine." She heard as she she shut the door to the small room and made her way to Marius' apartment where she had been told she was welcome to spend her nights whenever she returned home late though she rarely took him up on the offer as she did not wish to disturb him. Tonight though she was in particularly good spirits and decided spending the evening in her friend's company would be most enjoyable.

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><p><strong>AN Thanks for reading again guys, hope you liked this chapter. Reviews are always welcome with your opinions and thoughts.**

**Deep Forest Green: Thank you for your kind words about the story, I know that Gavroche and Eponine weren't close in the book but I thought it would be a good way to get Eponine closer to the Amis as I didn't want to build up a super close relationship with Marius. Thanks again, I hope you like this chapter too.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - The Cafe

A week on from Eponine's meeting with Enjolras in the library and her life had been pretty uneventful. She had spent two nights at Marius' reading her book, stopping every few minutes to ask him to explain a word or phrase for her. The other 5 nights since then had been spent either out on the streets with her father's gang, raiding various houses of their riches, or making herself scarce by hiding in her small bedroom or spending the night on the street to avoid spending it with Montparnasse.

She had actually finished reading her book within 4 days but was so excited by the fact she could read it (with Marius' help) and found Robespierre and his opinions so interesting that she insisted on reading it for a second time before she returned it to Enjolras.

"'Ponine why are you reading that book again? You only finished it the other day." Azelma had asked one night when Eponine returned from a robbery with the gang and immediately sat down to read as soon as she entered their room.

"'Zelma, Robespierre is very interesting, he fought for people like us, he said 'the secret of freedom lies in educating people', don't you get it 'Zelma? We have the chance to make a difference if we believe we do."

"Yeh sure we do 'Ponine, go out there and tell that to the bourgeoisie, I'm sure they'll drop everything to make sure things change for you."

"If enough people made a scene they might." Eponine mumbled to herself as she sat down in bed and began to read again. It was in that moment she decided that she would take Enjolras up on his offer and attend one of his meetings to see what kind of things they planned to do to try and better the country.

"I went to see Gavroche the other day like you said by the way." Azelma said from beside her, changing the subject.

"Oh good, was he pleased to see you?"

"Yes, him and the boys were very pleased as I took them a few fresh apples that Luc had not sold on his stall."

"That is good of you 'Zelma."

"Yes, Luc said he'd rather they went to people who really needed them than the bourgeoisie who have plenty of food, I really think he is special 'Ponine. He's so kind and caring and he always smells so gorgeous, working with the flowers all day really must be lovely. Oh the other day 'Ponine you would not believe, he gave me the most stunning pink flower and he put it in my hair and told me I looked beautiful. 'Ponine, he's so lovely. 'Ponine? Eponine?" But no reply came from her sister as she had fallen fast asleep still clutching the book.

Eponine spent the next morning by the Seine reading her book again before making her way to the Jardin des Tuilleries at midday where she continued to read as well as pickpocket a few sous from a group of men passing by.

By the time 4 o'clock rolled around Eponine had once again completed the book and took that as a good reason to pay Gavroche a visit and see if he would be able to take her to one of Enjolras' meetings.

She had expected to be met by one of Gavroche's younger boys when she arrived at the base of the elephant almost an hour later but instead she was surprised to find a young man, possibly a few years older than herself, standing by the leg shouting up at the entrance hole.

"Come on Gav, we'll be late if you don't hurry up." Eponine heard the man shout as she approached the statue then he took a step back to inspect it as a whole, only to back into Eponine as he did so. "Oh I'm sorry Mademoiselle, I did not see you there."

"It's ok Monsieur, I heard you shout for my brother, you wouldn't happen to be Monsieur Courfeyrac would you?" She asked politely.

"Why yes I am, do I really find myself in the presence of Mademoiselle Eponine?" He said, making a small bow before her causing her to blush.

"Oui, that is me, may I ask what you are going to be late for if Gav doesn't hurry up?"

"We have to get to Place Saint-Michel by six to attend the meeting at the Cafe Musain and Enjolras gets awfully annoyed if we are late."

"You're going to see Monsieur Enjolras?" She asked excitedly.

"Oui Mademoiselle, you know him?"

"Indeed I do, he lent me this book you see and I said I would see him to give him my verdict." She told him, holding up the book to show him.

"Ah yes, typical Enjolras, spreading the word about Robespierre." He chuckled in response.

"Yes he seemed very passionate about the matter."

"Oh he is, come to the meeting with us tonight and you will see that he is that and so much more."

"'Ponine's coming to the meeting?" Gavroche said from beside them, startling them both.

"If you both think that would be ok?" She asked looking between the two of them.

"I'm sure it will be so long as we leave now, we've wasted enough time waiting for this one." Courfeyrac said indicating to Gavroche.

"Hey I wasn't late, you were just early Courf!" Gavroche cried defensively.

"Yeh keep telling yourself that Gav." He replied ruffling the younger boy's hair and Eponine smiled at the friendship the two boys had.

"So Ep why are you coming to the meeting? I didn't know this was your kind of thing." Gavroche said as they crossed over the Seine.

"Our Enj has been filling her mind with Robespierre." Courfeyrac answered for her, laughing as he did.

"When did you meet Enjolras?" Gavroche asked.

"I met him with Marius a little while ago then bumped into him in the library last week." Eponine explained to her brother.

"Book day?" Gavroche asked and Eponine nodded in reply.

"Now she's back for more of his charm." Courfeyrac laughed and Gavroche joined in, evidently that was hilarious.

When they arrived Gavroche loudly announced their arrival to everyone before he ran off to join a group of young men sitting around a table deep in conversation.

"You're welcome to join us Miss Eponine?" Courfeyrac offered but she politely declined, assuring him she would sit quietly at the back and just observe, before he ran after Gavroche to join the other men.

"Good evening Eponine." A voice said beside her and she turned to see Marius sitting next to her, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I thought I would come see what all the fuss was about and I finished that book so I need to return it to Monsieur Enjolras." She explained to him.

"I see, can I get you a drink?" He offered as he stood up.

"Oh I don't want to be any trouble." She protested.

"It's no trouble." He said walking off to the counter.

She sat quietly at the back of the cafe while Marius got their drinks and looked around, noticing Enjolras looking up from his papers and catching her eye. They acknowledged each others presence and Eponine was sure she saw the corners of his mouth twitch up into a small smile.

Marius returned to the table placing two small wine glasses down before he sat down across from her and took a sip from his own glass just in time to hear Enjolras call above the noise of the men in the room.

"Ok everyone settle down, the meeting has begun." His assertive voice quickly silencing them all. "Friends of the ABC, it is good to see you all here tonight, I hope you are all well."

"As well as we can be." One of the men in the group at the table said more to himself than anyone else but Enjolras still heard.

"Yes, well, as well as you can be, thank you Joly." Oh that was Joly, Eponine thought. Marius had briefly described each of his friends to her before and she remembered him saying that Joly was a medical student who thought he had the plague at least once a week. "Anyway, today we shall be discussing plans for our upcoming rally outside General Lamarque's house to raise awareness for our cause."

From the very start of the meeting Eponine found herself drawn in by Enjolras' leadership and motivational skills. By the end of the meeting nearly all the men in the cafe were standing, cheering and stamping their feet to show their support for their leader's plans. Even Monsieur Grantaire, who Eponine had heard was a not easily impressed drunkard raised his bottle in the air while calling 'here here' before he took a swig and slumped back in his chair, simply nodding along with Enjolras' words.

When the meeting was over the men remained in the cafe drinking and joking with each other as friends did. Only Marius had left as he said he had to be up early in the morning for class, leaving Eponine sat alone at her table, quietly sipping her wine.

"Eponine come over here!" Courfeyrac called beckoning her over to the table.

"That's Eponine?" "The Eponine?" The boys said amongst themselves as Eponine made her way over to their table.

"Mademoiselle, here, take my seat." One of them said standing up and offering her his chair. "I'm Combeferre by the way."

"Merci Monsieur Combeferre." She said, sitting down.

"Oh please Eponine, none of that Monsieur business with us, you're amongst friends. Here we are simply Combeferre, Courfeyrac, Bahorel, Jehan, Joly, Bossuet, Feuilly and that mess over there is Grantaire." He said pointing out each of the men as he said their names.

"Sebastien Grantaire at your service." Grantaire said leaning forward and extending his hand for Eponine only to have it batted away by Courfeyrac.

"Don't try it Grantaire." He warned.

"Don't try what? I don't understand why you think that everything that comes from my mouth is going to be some crude comment." He said, faking a hurt expression.

"Because most of the time it is." Feuilly said and the group of them began to laugh, all except for Grantaire who threw himself dramatically back into his chair and sulked.

"So what brings you here Eponine?" Combeferre asked, resuming their original conversation.

"She's got a thing with Enjolras!" Gavroche shouted into the group.

"Our Enjolras? The Marble Man? No. He couldn't hold a conversation with a woman!" Combeferre replied.

"No it's not-"

"I must say I never expected Enjolras to have female company." Jehan observed.

"No-"

"I told you Bahorel! You owe me 5 francs now!" Bossuet cried across the table.

"It's not like that!" Eponine shouted to shut them all up. "He lent me a book so I'm here to return it." She said simply.

"Oh, well that's not as exciting as Gav made it sound but I guess it's a start for our Apollo, you must be one of the first women he's ever spoken to." Joly replied.

"That's a lie Joly, he talks to you all the time." Grantaire said laughing to himself, earning glares and eye rolls from the rest of the group.

"Shut up Grantaire." Courfeyrac said standing up. "Come on guys, it's getting late and we all have things to do tomorrow let's go home." He said and they all agreed, following him to the stairs.

"Bye Enj." They called as they began to descend.

"See you Eponine!" Some of them shouted back over their shoulders too.

Now Eponine was left upstairs in the cafe, just her and Enjolras in the small room, it suddenly felt very quiet now all the others had left.

"Good evening Mademoiselle." Enjolras said walking over and joining her at the table.

"Good Evening Monsieur, I just came to return this book to you."

"Ah yes Robespierre. Did you enjoy it?"

"Oui, very much so. I read it twice, Marius helped me a little the first time but the second time I understood all the words myself."

"That is good Eponine, perhaps I shall lend you another book sometime seeing as you enjoyed this one so."

"That would be lovely of you Monsieur, I don't wish to cause any trouble borrowing these books off you though."

"It is none at all, it is a pleasure for me to introduce you to the world of law and politics, perhaps one time if you are struggling with one of them you can come to me and I shall assist you as Marius has done for you this time."

"Merci Monsieur Enjolras, that really is very kind of you."

"It is nothing at all Mademoiselle Eponine." He said looking up at her.

"Please, just call me Eponine, I'm not used to people calling me Mademoiselle." She said, blushing yet again.

"Well ok then Eponine, I guess it is only right to let you call me just Enjolras."

"Ok then Just Enjolras." She joked and he let a small laugh escape before he resumed his usual demeanour, obviously not expecting to have laughed like he had.

"Very witty, I see what you did there."

"You don't need a university to be witty Monsi-. Enjolras." She said laughing.

"As you have shown. Can I get you a drink Madam-. Eponine. This is going to take some getting used to." He chuckled.

"Oh no I'm fine thank you, I should be getting home, my sister will be wondering where I am."

"Very well Eponine, I shall see you soon?"

"I hope so, I shall be expecting another book upon our next meeting."

"I shall pick something out especially for you."

"Why thank you Enjolras."

"I have said before, it really is no trouble to me. Will you be attending our rally next week?"

"I'm sure I will be able to." She assured him.

"Good, then I shall I see you then and find a way to give you your next book afterwards."

"That sounds lovely Monsieur. Oh sorry, Enjolras. You're right that really is going to take some getting used to."

"I shall see you then Eponine, bon nuit."

"Bon nuit Enjolras." She said standing from the table and making her way to the stairs. "Au revoir!" She called over her shoulder, leaving him sitting upstairs in the cafe alone, the scowl once again softened on his face making him look rather handsome in Eponine's eyes.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts of Enjolras and stepped outside the door onto the street before she began her journey home.

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><p><strong>AN Hey guys have another chapter! This one's just a bit of fun really, I enjoyed writing the Amis and Enjolras and Eponine together so I hope you enjoy reading them too. **I'm off on holiday for a week now so won't be able to update until at least next Sunday so stay tuned till then and keep your reviews coming, can't wait to hear what you think! :)****


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - The Rally

**A/N hey there guys, thanks for hanging on while I was away. My holiday was amazing but I'm back now so I thought it would be rude not to post a chapter for you all. This one's a little bit of Enjonine fluff for you so I hope you enjoy it.**

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><p>The morning of the rally was an exciting one for Eponine, she awoke early as usual and tried to move about her room as quietly as she could so not to wake Azelma though she managed with little success and her sister sat up in bed and began to question her on where she was going.<p>

"'Ponine." She mumbled while rubbing her eyes, "Why are you awake so early?"

"It's the rally today, I must go and support Enjolras and the rest of the boys." She replied, still searching through her limited supply of clothes to find something to wear for the day.

"What are you looking for?" Azelma asked moving forwards to sit on the end of the bed.

"My shirt, you know the dark green one with the flower pattern on it?" She said throwing a dark brown dress down in frustration.

"Is it this one?" Her sister asked rummaging through her own small pile of clothing and pulling out a short sleeve, dark green shirt with flowers on. "I may have borrowed it last week, I'm sorry 'Ponine."

"That's ok, thanks for finding it for me."

"What do you want to wear it for, that's probably one of the nicest shirts you own, it's the only one that's still an actual colour. Wait a minute. You're seeing Monsieur Enjolras today aren't you?" She cried as she worked out why her sister was making a special effort.

"Yes but you are mistaken in thinking that is why I am wearing the shirt. There is nothing going on between Enjolras and I, I just like that shirt and want to wear it. Is that ok?" She snapped back.

"If you say so 'Ponine." Azelma replied, obviously not believing Eponine's excuse. "If there really is nothing going on with you two then I want to come with you to the rally."

"You? At the rally? 'Zelma you got annoyed at me for reading that Robespierre book twice, you don't believe any of the stuff the Friends of the ABC stand for, why on earth do you want to go to the rally?"

"Who knows, maybe they'll be able to change my mind on the matter, and besides I want to meet Monsieur Enjolras to see for myself that there is nothing going on between you two."

"Very well, dress quickly. I do not wish to be late." Eponine replied before she picked up her green shirt and a long skirt and placed them over her thin body, holding them together with a large belt around her waist.

Once Azelma was up and ready the two girls made their way through the city towards General Lamarque's house, where the rally was being held, stopping first at a small bakery to pick up a bread roll to share for their breakfast.

When they arrived at the scene of the rally they were met by large crowds of people just like themselves who lived on the streets of Paris or in very poor housing, just about getting by with little or no money at all. The crowds were angrily shouting and surrounding carriages which had been stopped by the commotion. Looking through the crowds Eponine spotted Enjolras and Marius stood above everyone else on a raised platform calling out to the people all the around them while the rest of the boys ran through the crowds handing out flyers informing people of their plans to build barricades in the streets.

She continued to look around until she spotted a small mop of blonde hair running in and out of the carriage wheels.

"Gavroche!" She called out to him but her brother was too busy terrorising the bourgeoisie.

"Eponine?!" She heard a voice beside her and turned to see Feuilly.

"Feuilly!"

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I told Enjolras I would be here to show my support."

"That is very good of you Eponine, and who is this?"

"This is my sister Azelma."

"Nice to meet you Mademoiselle" He said extending his hand to the younger girl at Eponine's side.

"And you Monsieur." She replied before the three of them were interrupted by Marius and Enjolras calling out to the crowds again.

"I must be off to hand out more of these, see you later ladies." Feuilly said before he ran back off through the hoards of people.

Eponine looked up in admiration at Marius. She had always loved him for as long as she could remember. From their first meeting when he moved into the apartment down the hall from her own and she bumped into him on the stairs as he carried a box up to his new home. He had looked upon her like any other, never once did he treat her worse than himself or any of his friends and now here he was standing before her and the rest of the crowds prepared to fight for a better world for people like her.

She looked from Marius to his right, to Enjolras. The man she had met only a few times before, the man who led this band of revolutionaries, the man she found was beginning to take her mind away from Marius. While she allowed herself to like Enjolras and enjoy spending time in his company she did not feel she could let go of her love for Marius in order to pursue someone she barely knew.

She broke her stare at Enjolras when she realised he was staring directly back at her while he continued to shout at the crowd, stirring them up into a frenzy of passion for their cause.

Soon after, Enjolras and Marius jumped down from their platform and ran to the front of the crowd. Eponine's followed them with her eyes to see a row of police officers on horses walking towards them trying to shut down the protest. She felt Azelma grab at her arm and heard her shout something in her ear before she let go and ran off in the opposite direction. Eponine's head was too full of adrenaline to pay proper attention to her sister.

The crowd continued to chant in the direction of the police before dispersing in all different directions. Eponine looked round when she felt someone grab onto her arm.

"Eponine. You came." Enjolras was beside her.

"Of course I came, I told you I would didn't I?" She replied, blushing at his touch and her voice faltering slightly under his gaze.

"That you did, now if you come with me I have picked out a selection of books I believe may interest you." He said leading her away from the remnants of the crowd. As they walked off together Eponine heard the distinct cheering and cat-calling of the other boys behind them which caused her and Enjolras to laugh to each other.

Rounding a few more corners Enjolras and Eponine finally came to stop outside the large black door of a brick house.

"Is this your house?" Eponine asked as she gazed up at the large building.

"Yes, unfortunately so, my father bought it and insisted I live in it for as long as I am in Paris, he expects me to return to Nice and join the family business but I have no plans to do such a thing."

"Unfortunately so? It's amazing Enjolras!"

"That is exactly why I dislike it, it is too much, how am I supposed to truly help the people when I know very little of the realities of their situations, I can only imagine how it is to live on the streets as I return here each night to the comfort of my bed and blazing fire in the winter."

"I see." Eponine said, taken aback by Enjolras' obvious dedication to his cause.

"Follow me, I have a little surprise for you." He said to her leading her through a large wooden doorway.

"Enjolras! This is incredible!" Eponine said, looking around in wonder at the shelves covering the walls of the room she was in which were filled from floor to ceiling with books.

"The one thing I do like about this house." He said nodding.

"You have so many books!" Eponine said still bewildered by the scale of the room and Enjolras just stood back and laughed to himself before he sat down on the sofa and continued to watch her.

"You look nice today Eponine." He said as she skipped around the room reading as many titles as she could, she stopped, however, when she heard him and looked down while blushing. "Sorry I didn't mean it like that I just meant-. I don't know I meant. I'm sorry."

"It's fine Enjolras. Honestly." Eponine said, sitting down next to him.

"So what did you think of our rally today?" Enjolras asked, breaking the tension in the room.

"I thought it was brilliant, I really admire you Enjolras, I mean what you're planning could be really dangerous but you want to do it to help people like me."

"By sealing our work with our blood, we may see at least the bright dawn of universal happiness." He replied, looking directly at her.

"Robespierre." Eponine noted.

"It was, well done." He said, impressed.

"I told you I read the book twice."

"I truly am impressed Eponine."

"Why thank you Monsieur." She said, blushing again. Something she found herself doing more and more in his company.

"Can I get you something to eat? I'm not a great cook but I'm sure I can make you something for lunch."

"I don't want to be any trouble."

"Eponine, you're never any trouble to me, I'm more than happy to make you some lunch." He said standing and leaving the room. Eponine followed him down the small hall towards the kitchen at the other end. "What can I get for you?"

"Whatever you feel like making." She shrugged, just grateful she was getting a proper lunch.

"Omelette it is then." He said excitedly.

"Omelette sounds perfect!" Eponine replied taking a seat and watching him eagerly run around his kitchen preparing her lunch. "That was delicious Enjolras." She said, sitting back after she'd eaten everything on her plate a little while later.

"I'm glad you liked it Eponine." He said smiling. "You know I went back to that little bakery, where we first met the other day, and picked up some pastries, would you like one?"

"If you're sure? That would be wonderful, the baker gave me an apple one when I was in there and it was so good."

"Well you're in luck then as I bought the apple ones."

"You're the best!" She squealed, squirming in her seat with excitement only to be received with a small laugh from Enjolras.

A few hours later Eponine was sat on the floor of Enjolras' library in the middle of a circle of books that she was building into a fort while Enjolras finished a little bit of work in his study but he had insisted that she stayed and made use of all the books.

She had built her fort with the spines of the books facing towards her so as she turned around inside her little tower she read the titles out loud to herself as she did on her book days in the library.

As she continued to turn around and admire her creation she failed to notice Enjolras appear in the doorway and watch her.

"Eponine what are you doing?" He chuckled.

"I built a fort out of the books so now I can read the titles and pretend I'm a princess at the same time."

"You pretend you're a princess?" He asked, crouching down beside her.

"I used to. When I was younger. I kind of grew out of it but this was too tempting, there's just so many books."

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

"I am I am, Enjolras I think I love your library."

"Well then you'll have to come back again and use it won't you?"

"Can I really? That would be perfect!" She asked, jumping up and knocking over all the books she'd carefully piled up.

"Of course you can, now pick out a couple that you want to take with you to read." He said holding out his hand to help her up off the floor.

After she'd tidied all the books she'd got out and picked out two to take home with her - one a novel and the other a biography - she walked down the hall to find Enjolras in his study.

"I'd best be leaving now, I have things to do this afternoon." She said from the doorway.

"Of course, I didn't mean to keep you this long." He apologised and stood up from his desk.

"Oh don't apologise, it's been so much fun, I really do love your library."

"I'm glad to hear it, let me walk you to the door."

"Thank you again so much for the books and the lunch and all your kindness towards me Enjolras I don't know how I'll ever begin to repay you."

"Oh there's no need for that Eponine, I'm aways glad to help."

"Thank you though, I really mean it." She said and then, without thinking, she leant forwards standing on her tiptoes and gently placed her lips on his.

He stood awkwardly for a second then relaxed right before she pulled back.

"I-. I-. I'm sorry Enjolras. I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

"Eponine."

"I'm so sorry."

"Eponine."

"I must go now. Goodbye. Thank you for the books."

"Eponine!" He shouted after her but it was too late, she had already run off down the street and out of sight.

What he wanted to tell her was that he had not minded the kiss. He had not been expecting it. No. But he hadn't tried to stop it. He felt a slight pang of guilt, as though he had betrayed his mistress, Patria, but it dawned on him that Eponine gave him something that his love for the country could never give him. Hope.

She was so innocent and childlike, everything fascinated her. Watching her sitting inside her little fort of books he found an involuntary smile creep across his lips as he realised it was people like her that he was fighting for.

He turned and shut his front door then stood in his entrance hall, his back pressed up against it and slid downwards until he was sat on the floor. His head fell into his hands as his mind replayed what had just happened over and over again while he tried to decide what was right.

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><p><strong>AN Dun dun duuuunnnn...**

**It's cliche I know but hey, it's my story so I'll be as cliche as I like :P  
>Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, leave me a review or a PM to let me know what you think or tell me if there's anything you want to see happen in the rest of the story! <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - The Letters

**A/N Hello there people! Little fact for you here before you read this chapter: Rue Sainte-Felicite is actually about two streets away from Rue Plumet in real life. Ta da!  
>P.S apologies again for the lack of accents throughout this story, wordpad isn't great.<strong>

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><p>After her impromptu kiss with Enjolras, Eponine had spent the afternoon walking around the city, angrily cursing herself under her breath. For once she did not take time to admire the buildings around her, instead she looked down at the ground, kicking every stone that appeared in her way.<p>

"You're so stupid." "He doesn't like you." "You don't even like him like that." "Why did you kiss him?" "You barely know him." "Stupid girl." "You told Azelma you weren't a thing." "Why did you kiss him Eponine? Why?" Angry thoughts whizzed around her head as she stamped down the cobbled streets.

When she arrived home she threw Enjolras' books down on her bed before throwing herself down beside them and finally letting the tears fall. She was over the anger at herself now and just felt as though she'd messed everything up, Enjolras was sure to tell someone and it would get around the group and none of them would talk to her again. She really had messed everything up.

"'Ponine?" She heard a little while later, waking her up though she had not even realised she'd fallen asleep. "'Ponine are you ok? Oh god, you've been crying. What happened?" She looked up to see Azelma standing over her.

"Nothing 'Zelma. Nothing happened." She said firmly, sitting up and wiping her face.

"Well something must of, was it Enjolras?"

"No. It was me. I was the one who kissed him and ruined everything." She said, suddenly realising Azelma was probably not the most trustworthy person to tell.

"You kissed Monsieur Enjolras?!" She shouted in disbelief.

"Yes but I didn't mean to, it just happened. Don't tell anybody."

"I won't. So, what happened then?" She asked, obviously excited by the developments in her sister's love life.

"I was leaving and I kissed him and I shouldn't of and now I've ruined everything." Eponine let out in one go, the tears threatening to spill over again.

"Oh 'Ponine, I'm sure you didn't ruin everything. Monsieur Enjolras seems very nice from what I've heard, I'm sure he didn't mind. Did he say anything afterwards?"

"I don't know, I ran away. I heard him shout my name but I kept running" Eponine said, looking down, knowing her sister would not be pleased.

"You ran away? Eponine how could you be so stupid? He obviously wanted to talk to you and you ran away from him? What will he think now?"

"I'm sorry 'Zelma, I didn't know what to do."

"It's not me you need to apologise to, it's Monsieur Enjolras."

"I-."

"You need to do it 'Ponine."

"Eponine!" A voice called from outside the door before she could reply. "Get out here, you're coming out with us tonight."

"Oui Papa." Eponine said quietly then stood up, quickly wiping her eyes of any last tears and reluctantly left the room to follow her father and his gang out on a robbery, throwing a look over her shoulder to Azelma before she did so.

The robbery took place on a house on Rue Sainte-Felicite so, as usual Eponine was stood at the end of the street with Montparnasse, avoiding conversation as much as possible. The night seemed to go on for ages. Eponine was so tired of providing Montparnasse with one word answers to all his annoying questions by the end of the night, she just wanted to go home and go to sleep. Her prayers were answered when her father had walked past them, carrying a large bag of expensive goods, and told them they could go. Finally.

She walked back a little way, crossing over the street before something caught her attention and caused her to stop. She heard a girl's voice singing from the garden of one of the houses, it was a tune she recognised a little from her sister's humming. Moving closer to the gate of the garden the singing was coming from she spotted a blonde girl, of about her age, sitting on a bench singing and running her fingers through her beautiful long hair as she did so.

Eponine stood at the gate for a while, carefully sticking to the shadows, admiring the girl, everything about her was so beautiful, she was everything Eponine wished she could be.

A voice from the house behind the girl startled Eponine and she jumped further back into the shadow she was hiding in.

"Cosette, come inside now, it's getting very late."

"Coming Papa." The girl replied and stood from her bench before skipping into the house.

Cosette? She knew of a Cosette once, the girl had lived with them in the inn at Montfermeil, her mother had left her with Eponine's family and never returned for her, instead a man came and paid her parents to take Cosette away. Could it be the same Cosette? Eponine thought about it for a while then realised it must have been as the tune she recognised her singing was not one she had heard from her sister but it was in fact the song Cosette had always sung to herself whilst working in the inn.

How unfair, Eponine thought to herself as she walked the rest of the way home, Cosette had always been the poor one before, now they had been reversed, Eponine had been thrown to the bottom of the heap whilst Cosette had climbed her way up and now sat on top of them all.

Eponine tried to sleep that night but failed miserably as thoughts of Enjolras and Cosette and everything else filled her mind keeping her awake.

The next morning a very tired Eponine stepped out the apartment early and began to make her way around the square only to be stopped yards from her door.

"Eponine, I have something for you." Marius said, running up to her. "I don't know what it is but it was pushed under my door last night with a note attached saying 'please give this to Eponine.'"

"How odd, thank you Marius."

"Aren't you going to open it?"

"Maybe in a bit." Eponine replied, tucking the small envelope into her skirt pocket. "So how have you been Marius?" She asked as the two of them began to walk around the square together.

"I've been well, and yourself?" He replied and the conversation carried on very much like this for some time before Marius stopped dead in his tracks and stared straight ahead of them.

Eponine followed his gaze and, much to her dismay, her eyes fell upon the same long blonde hair as she had seen the night before.

"Who is she? She's absolutely beautiful." Marius said, completely stunned by Cosette's presence.

"That bourgeois girl over there? Doesn't look much to me." Eponine said, trying to hide her hurt.

"No Eponine, she truly is breathtaking, do you know her? You seem to know most people in this city." Eponine didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult and, as she sighed to herself, she knew she would have to tell Marius the truth though she really did not want to.

"I do-"

"You do? Oh Eponine this is wonderful! You must introduce us."

"Her name is Cosette."

"Cosette? Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. You will introduce us won't you Eponine."

"Of course." She said, sighing sadly before leading her friend over to the girl she had hated as a child, though only because her parents did, and now hated as an adult, this time of her own opinion.

"Excuse me Mademoiselle." Eponine said from behind Cosette. "I don't know if you'll remember me but my name is Eponine?"

"Eponine?" Cosette asked, shocked. "Eponine Thenardier? Is it really you?"

"Yes Cosette it's me, I guess I've changed a little since I last saw you."

"Er yes, just a little." Cosette replied, still obviously shocked to have seen Eponine again after all those years.

"As have you Mademoiselle." Eponine said before a cough from Marius beside her reminded her of the reason for their interaction. "Oh, Cosette, this is my friend, Marius Pontmercy, he asked me to introduce you."

"Mademoiselle." He said taking her hand and kissing it lightly.

"Bonjour Monsieur." Cosette said, giggling.

As the two of them began to talk Eponine felt the letter in her pocket burning a hole.

"If you don't mind, I must be getting on now, au revoir Marius, Cosette."

"Au revoir Eponine." Marius replied.

"Eponine, I would like to see you again some time to become properly reacquainted." Cosette said just before she left.

"I'll see Cosette." Eponine replied before turning and running off through the square.

She ran all the way to cafe where she would be able to read the letter in peace and they would have paper and a pen should she wish to reply.

_Dear Eponine,_

_I hope that your running away this afternoon was not my fault. I did not wish to scare you. I must say I was not expecting you to kiss me like that however I do not regret you doing it and I hope you do not either. I hope that I can see you soon and we can speak in person._

_I am sorry again,_

_Enjolras._

Eponine stared at the page in disbelief, Enjolras was not angry at her? He didn't regret the kiss? She quickly ran to the counter and asked the young boy on duty for a piece of paper and a pen for her to write her reply.

_Dear Enjolras,_

_I am sorry I ran from you yesterday, it was not your fault at all, it was entirely mine. I do not regret the kiss, I think. I regret running afterwards but not the kiss itself. I should like to see you soon too and we shall be able to put this behind us._

_Do not be sorry, it was my fault,_

_Eponine._

She hurriedly left the cafe and made her way to Enjolras' house, slipping the letter through the door and running back down the street before he could see her. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, but she wanted him to read the letter on his own first.

Upon entering the square again Eponine was met by en ecstatic looking Marius.

"Eponine, thank you so much for introducing me to Cosette, she is wonderful, she is truly is beauty itself, she is perfect."

"That is good Marius." She replied sadly, she had loved Marius for so long and now he had been taken from her by a girl she hated.

"Can you do me a favour and deliver this letter to her for me?" He said, pulling a small envelope from his blazer pocket.

"Of course Marius." She was annoyed and hurt by him but she still loved him so could not reject his request.

"Thank you Eponine, you are the best friend I could have." Friend. That is all she would ever be as she now realised.

That night when Eponine left the apartment in order to deliver Marius' letter to Cosette she bumped into none other than Enjolras as she did so.

"Mademoiselle." He said politely to apologise for bumping into her. "Oh Eponine it's you." He said when he recognised her.

"Enjolras."

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I have to deliver this letter to someone for Marius."

"It's not that girl he's been talking about all day is it?"

"Alas, that would be the one."

"Let me accompany you."

"Oh no, you needn't bother."

"But I want to."

"If you insist." Eponine replied, pretending to be a little annoyed when in reality she was pleased to have him by her side.

The two of them talked as they made their way back to Rue Plumet, where Cosette was staying. They talked about themselves, getting to know each other better, about books and people and they briefly broached on the subject of their friendship and how the others had responded to it, before they reached their destination.

"Wait here, I won't be long." Eponine told him as she began to scale the large metal gates. He nodded and she made her way through the garden to where she saw Cosette sitting on the same bench as before. "Good evening Mademoiselle."

"Eponine? What are you doing here?"

"I came to deliver this to you." She said handing out the envelope with her name beautifully written on it. "It's from Marius."

"Thank you Eponine, thank you for introducing us, he really is beyond lovely. Such a gentleman." She gushed as she opened the envelope carefully. "Do you mind waiting here a second while I read the letter and write a reply for you to give to him? I would be forever in your debt if you did." Eponine sighed.

"Of course not." She said sadly.

"Thank you Eponine, oh thank you so much! I shall be back in a second." She said standing from the bench and running inside the house.

Eponine made her way back to the gate to explain the situation to Enjolras and tell him he may leave as it may be a wait.

"May I see you tomorrow?" He asked her.

"I guess so, I don't have anything planned."

"Good, then you shall come to my house in the morning and we will decide where to go from there." He said definitely, causing Eponine to giggle. "What's so funny?"

"You Monsieur, you make everything sound so business-like. I'm sorry, don't change it, I like that about you." She said, realising only after she'd said it that she was admitting her feelings for him.

"Then I shall never change." He said leaning forward and placing a small kiss on her lips through the gate. "Is it my turn to run away now?" Eponine simply nodded, not knowing how to respond properly. "Goodnight Eponine." He said laughing slightly before turning and walking away down the road.

"Goodnight Enjolras." Eponine said to herself as she turned back to face the house, her cheeks burning and a large smile spreading across her face.

"Here we are." Cosette said as she reappeared from the door. "Thank you again for doing this Eponine."

"It's no problem Cosette." She said though her head was running over all the problems again and again.

"I meant what I said earlier, I really would like to get to know you again. I know you may not, you never particularly liked me as a child but I hope that we can put our pasts behind us and move on from now as friends." She said honestly.

Eponine didn't know how Cosette could talk to her as she was, Eponine had been so horrid to her as a child. She felt a little bad for hating the girl so much, Cosette was being nothing but nice to her but Eponine still found it unfair that she had just shown up looking so beautiful and bourgeoisie and taken Marius away from her.

"Sure I'd like that too." Eponine finally replied after looking up at Cosette's pleading eyes. The girl really did want to see her again.

"Oh Eponine, this is wonderful! I feel like we could be good friends." She said throwing her arms around her in a hug.

"Er yes, ok." Eponine said quietly then stood from the bench and made her way to the gate. "I'll make sure Marius gets this letter." She said then began to climb back over it and stood on the other side, facing Cosette. "Goodnight Cosette." She said, bowing her head slightly.

"Goodnight Eponine, no doubt I shall see you soon." She heard her say then she walked off down the street, ready to collapse in her bed, thoughts of her second kiss with Enjolras still causing her mind to spin.

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><p><strong>AN So there you go, I'm not a massive fan of this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it, I hope my introduction of Cosette was ok and.. yeh..  
>Leave me a review to let me know what you think, even if you hated it just write and tell me! Till next time pals!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - The Park

**A/N I'm aware that the park in this was not actually open in 1832 but it's just so pretty and seemed like the perfect setting that I couldn't resist sending Ep and Enj there. **

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><p>When Eponine arrived at Enjolras' house the next morning she was greeted by him throwing the door wide open and welcoming her in before running back down the hall to the kitchen, leaving her to shut the door for herself.<p>

"Good morning?" She laughed as she walked tentatively through the house, slightly worried by what he might be doing in the kitchen.

"It is a good morning indeed, the sun is shining, you are here and we are going on a picnic!" He said, stepping to the side to reveal the picnic basket placed on the kitchen counter.

"You made us a picnic?" Eponine asked, her hand flying to her mouth as she found the whole thing adorable, she hadn't been on a picnic since she was a child.

"Yes and I'm taking you to my favourite place to eat it." He said standing before her smiling.

"And where might that be?" She giggled.

"You'll have to wait and see."

"Oh so secretive."

"You know me." he laughed, giving her side a nudge with his elbow.

"Yes though I still don't think I do well enough."

"Well then that is something we shall have to change today." He said picking up the picnic basket and placing it over one arm while offering the other for Eponine to take.

The two of them made their way out of the house and, while Enjolras locked the front door, Eponine turned around to face the most beautiful carriage standing in front of them.

"Enjolras is this for us?" She asked in shock.

"Indeed it is, I thought a princess such as yourself should travel in style." He answered her as he handed the picnic basket to the carriage driver who placed it inside for them before offering his hand out to Eponine to help her in.

"Oh I'm no princess." She replied when she was sat inside on the plush seats.

"For today you shall be, you will see when we arrive."

The journey took around half an hour and most of that time was taken up by the two of them continuing their conversation from the night before, getting to know more about each other, though it was interrupted on many occasions by Eponine excitedly pointing out the window or, at one point, sticking her head out to see everything they passed by. She was fascinated by almost every building they passed, though she had seen them all before the idea of seeing them all from the inside of a carriage made everything seem new and exciting again for Eponine.

Whenever the conversation was stopped so that Eponine could marvel at something else Enjolras would sit back against his seat and watch her, her smile radiating around the carriage and causing one to appear on his own face. She acted so innocent and childlike and as he spent more time in her company Enjolras found himself more and more drawn to her, something which was new to him so he often surprised himself whilst in her presence.

When the carriage finally rolled to a stop and the driver hopped down from his seat to open the door for the two of them, Eponine looked around to see a park full of trees with a path winding in and out of them and leading across the large lake in the centre, up a steep hill to a castle-like structure built overlooking the whole place.

"Welcome to Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Eponine." Enjolras said when he appeared beside her, carrying the basket.

"It's beautiful." She said in awe of it all. "The trees and the lake and the castle. Enjolras we have to go to the castle!"

"We will, I promise, I couldn't bring a princess to a castle and not let her see it now, could I? First we shall sit down here on the grass and eat our picnic and then I shall take you to the island to explore."

"There you go again." Eponine laughed.

"What? What did I do?" Enjolras replied worriedly.

"Nothing wrong, you're just organising everything."

"Oh I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, I told you I liked it didn't I? I mean you've done a very good job at organising this trip." Eponine said, taking his hand in hers.

"Well thank you, I suppose."

"Come on let's go find somewhere to sit and eat this picnic, I'm excited to see what you've packed." She said, beginning to walk down the winding path.

"I know the perfect spot." He replied, lacing their fingers together and swinging their arms a little while they walked.

The picnic consisted of a baguette (which Enjolras had bought that morning from the bakery they met at), some cheese, a small pear tart and a bottle of wine. The two of them sat under a large old tree, overlooking the lake and continued their conversation.

"So tell me about your childhood." Enjolras said whilst cutting some cheese to have with his bread.

"My family owned an inn in Montfermeil. We lived there until I was about 10. My sister and I would often play games together in the woods, I was an expert tree climber though my mother disapproved as she was always mending holes in my dresses. The princess thing came from all the games we would play, pretending we had been invited to balls in Paris. Nothing out of the ordinary for a little girl I suppose. What about yours?"

"Well we didn't own an inn and I didn't pretend to be a princess however I did climb trees bit but I'm an only child so I had no siblings to play with. I had an odd relationship with my parents, I saw very little of them as they were always so busy, my father owned a small law firm in the town whilst my mother worked as a teacher in the school I attended. They were both very enthusiastic about my education and encouraged me to work my hardest at all costs. I look back on it now and think that they did help me achieve what I have today but I can't help but feel like I missed out a bit on a so called 'childhood.'"

"Well why don't you start now?" Eponine asked simply, as if he had just said the stupidest thing in the world.

"Start what now?" He asked, confused.

"Being a child. Go on, I dare you to climb that tree."

"That one? Oh no, there's no lower branches, it would be impossible."

"Want to bet?" She said before standing up and running over the tree which she began climbing as easily as if it were staircase.

"Eponine be careful!" Enjolras shouted from the ground.

"Come on Enjolras, the view's amazing!" She shouted back down to him.

"I don't know..."

"Come on. I'll tell the boys you got scared if you don't." That was enough to convince him. He began climbing the tree as Eponine had done and soon he found himself sat on a branch, high up, with his arm around her while the two of them looked out, over the lake. "It really is a beautiful view." She said as she rested her head on his shoulder. This took him by surprise a little but when he looked down at her, her messy hair draping over his arm, he couldn't help but smile at her as he had done in the carriage.

"It really is." He said, more to himself than her.

The two of them sat in the tree for a while, not talking, just watching the world go by and enjoying each others company.

"I can't feel my feet anymore, they've gone to sleep." Eponine mused, her head still resting on Enjolras' shoulder.

"Me neither."

"Do you think that's a sign we should get down?"

"Possibly so, how about I take you to see that castle now?"

"That would be lovely." She replied, lifting her head and swinging her feet around below her.

After climbing back down the branches and launching herself off the lowest one to land on the ground below, Eponine looked back up the tree to see Enjolras sitting tentatively on the edge of a branch.

"Do I have to jump?"

"Yes you have to jump, how else do you think you get down?"

"But it's a long way down."

"Come on, I did it."

"That doesn't mean I can."

"Of course it does." Eponine laughed, he really wasn't much of a tree climber as a child. "I'll count down for you. 3. 2. 1. Jump!"

With that Enjolras threw himself off the branch and proceeded to land in a small heap next to Eponine who had fallen down beside him, laughing hysterically at the small squeal that had escaped his mouth as he fell.

"Let's not laugh at me ok?" He said, standing up and shaking himself out.

"I'm sorry, it was too funny though." She said, still trying to regain composure.

"No. I can assure you it wasn't."

"It was funny for me." She said, standing against him and placing a small kiss on his lips.

"Then I'm glad I could amuse you." He said, doing the same back to her. "To the castle?"

"To the castle."

In actual fact the 'castle' was not a castle but instead a temple, placed high up on the island in the centre of the park, overlooking not only the park but the lake and the whole of Paris too.

When they reached it Eponine immediately ran to the side to overlook the city.

"Enjolras look! Look at this view, you can see everything from up here."

"Wow, I forgot how good the view was up here."

"When did you find this place?" Eponine asked, taking a seat on one of the rocks the temple was built on.

"Perhaps about a year ago." Enjolras said as he joined her. "I had just received a letter from my parents informing me that my uncle had passed away. My uncle was the one who taught me of equality and fairness for everyone in society, if it weren't for him there'd likely be no Amis de l'ABC and we wouldn't be planning this revolution. Hearing he'd died hit me like a tonne of bricks, I needed to escape the city for a day, everything seemed to close and suffocating so I walked. I walked for hours, aimlessly strolling around until I ended up here, I saw the temple placed way up here and knew I had to come up. Since that day it's been my favourite place in all of Paris."

"I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who walks around for hours." Eponine joked slightly though Enjolras' story had been so serious.

"No, definitely not the only one." He laughed back. "How about a dance then Mademoiselle?" He said as he stood back up and held his hand out for her.

She took his hand and the two of them stood in the centre of the temple, holding each other cl ose.

"But there's no music." She laughed.

"Then we'll have to make our own, can you sing?"

"No not at all, can you?" Eponine laughed again.

"No me neither." He replied. Her laugh was infectious and soon of the two of them were waltzing (quite badly) around the temple laughing at each other.

When the day was over the two of them walked back to Enjolras' house hand in hand, though it would take them almost two hours they did not mind as they were in each others company.

"So these barricades of yours?" Eponine asked as they walked.

"Yes? What about them?"

"What do you think will happen?"

"Well I like to believe that the people will rise, that they will join in our fight and we shall be victorious but I'm not naive. I know that lives will be lost and that we may not win however if I survive the barricades I intend to make so much more of a scene that the king will have wished he just answered me the first time."

"You say you know lives will be lost, you're not worried that it may be your friends?"

"I know they may die, they know they may die too but they, like me, are all committed to the cause, they know of the dangers and are willing to face them in order to bring about a better tomorrow for the people of Paris."

"I worry for you Enjolras, I worry for all of you. That's all."

"You have little need for worrying dear Eponine for I am sure, as sure as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow morning, that the people will join us and we will defeat our enemies."

"I do so hope that you are right." Eponine replied quietly, the thought of losing her friends terrified her.

The rest of the journey was spent in relative silence, they continued to walk side by side, their fingers intertwined with each others, just the sounds of their footsteps and the birds above them to accompany their walk.

"Thank you for today Enjolras. I shall not forget it in a hurry." Eponine said when they reached his front door.

"It has been my absolute pleasure, would you like to come in for a drink?" He offered, turning the key in the lock.

"Oh no, I've bothered you enough today, I should go now."

"Well, if you're sure?"

"Quite sure, thank you again Enjolras. I've not been on a date for ages."

"So we're calling this a date?" He smirked a little.

"Oh, er, I suppose, if you wanted to, it's not a problem is it?" She stuttered, afraid she had now said the wrong thing.

"No not at all." He said, chuckling and edging forward so that he could place his arms around her. "It was a lovely date and I'd very much like to do it again some time."

"As would I." She agreed.

"Then we shall." He said, before he placed his lips on hers and they shared yet another kiss outside his front door. "Have we done this before?" He laughed slightly.

"I think we might have, though I prefer this time."

"Me too, just as long as you don't run away now."

"I would never."

"Good."

Eponine smiled as she stood in his arms, her head placed on his chest.

"I really don't want to but I think I should leave now."

"Then I'd best not keep you any longer. Goodnight Eponine."

"Goodnight Enjolras." She said, planting another kiss on his lips.

Eponine had never felt so happy as she walked through the streets of Paris that night, each step she took seemed to light up the pavement and every star seemed to have come out to shine down on her. She could think of nothing but Enjolras as she lay in bed, she ran back through all their conversations and every kiss they had shared replayed over and over in her head. She felt like she was going mad, her mind was going into overdrive as she thought more and more about his lips on hers, nothing else could fit in her mind at that moment and she drifted off to sleep, happier than ever, an enormous grin spread right across her face.

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><p><strong>AN Sorry this took a while to upload, hope the chapter itself makes up for it, I really enjoyed writing this one because they were so cute so I hope it was a good read.  
>A few updates on my life for you:<br>1. I'm reading the brick (yay) I'm not very far in at the moment but I'm getting there so bear with me while I hopefully use it to improve my writing.  
>2. I'm currently working on plans for my next story which is veeeery different from this one but I hope you'll all like it when this one's done and I get round to putting it up.<br>3. Finally, I've rejoined tumblr (yay again) my blog is mainly west end/broadway, aaron tveit and pretty things so go check it out: barricades-of-red**

**So keep reviewing and all that, see you next time pals.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - The Cafe (Again)

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><p>She ran through the streets, faster than she'd ever run before, faster than she'd run after robberies, faster than times she'd run from the police. She ran down alleyways, past market stalls, past everything she would normally dawdle past and admire, today she was in a hurry.<p>

Bursting through the doors of the cafe she saw the familiar group of guys standing at the top of the stairs looking deep in thought. In the middle of them all she saw Gavroche standing proudly, Courfeyrac's hands resting on his shoulders.

"'Ponine! 'Ponine! Have you heard?" He shouted when he noticed her standing half way up the stairs.

"Lamarque? Yes I heard." She replied, trying to get her breath back.

"Eponine, oh gosh are you ok?" Joly asked as he ran to her side. "Can I get you a drink? Do you feel faint? Come. Sit."

"I'm fine Joly, I just ran here that's all." She said laughing at her hypocondriac friend.

"Oh, if you say so, I'm sure you would benefit from a drink though." He insisted.

"Honestly, I'm fine, thank you for your concern though."

"No trouble at all."

"So you heard?" Combeferre said, appearing at her side as Joly walked back to the group.

"Came as soon as I did, I figured you'd all be here."

"Well we're sort of all here."

"Where is he?" She asked, looking around all around the room in panic.

"He's shut himself in the back room. Says he won't come out until everything's finalised." Combeferre said shaking his head.

"I should of known he'd do this, everything he was saying the other day. He's so set on this."

"Ah yes, we heard of your's and our Apollo's date the other day." He said smirking, earning himself a hit in the chest from Eponine.

"Not the time Combeferre. I'll go see if I can talk to him."

She made her way to the wooden door on the other side of the room, her every move followed by every pair of eyes in the room.

"Enjolras, are you going to come out?" She asked while knocking lightly on the door.

"No, I'm not ready." A muffled voice from inside called back.

"Then can I come in? It's just me." She waited a few seconds then the door creaked open just a little. "I just want to talk to you." After she said this she pushed the door open a little more and made her way inside.

The small backroom of the cafe was dark, just a small high up window allowing a single shaft of light into the room. In the dim light, however, Eponine was able to make out Enjolras' face, worry written all over it.

"Come here." She said, holding her arms out to welcome him into a hug.

"It's so soon Eponine." He said into her shoulder.

"I know."

"It's so real now."

"I know."

"It's a bit scary now."

"I know it is but you're Apollo, you're their Marble Man, their fearless leader who they're all relying on to lead them into this battle and out the other side. They believe in you Enjolras, I believe in you, believe in yourself and you'll get through it."

"When did you get so wise?" He said as he pulled his head off her shoulder and looked her straight in the eye.

"Probably when a wise revolutionary told me it is thinking negatively of the situation and closing down any hopeful thoughts that blocks progression and that all you have to do is act on any problem you face and you will-

"-likely be able to overcome it." He finished for her, smiling. "I recognise those words from somewhere."

"I can't imagine why." She laughed back.

"I think I might be ready."

"I know you are." She said and he leaned forward to kiss her before he released himself from their hold and placed his hand on the door handle.

"Lamarque. His death is the hour of fate." He began as he pushed the door open and stepped out into the main room, silencing everyone with his presence as he did so.

Eponine stood behind him, in the backroom, and smiled after him, she knew he was scared, he had reason to be, but he couldn't show that to the rest of them, he needed to be strong for them, for everyone. She made her way out after him and crept round the side of the room to join the crowd of people which had grown slightly in the time she'd been away for. Spotting Marius sitting down at a table she made her way over and seated herself next to him.

Marius acknowledged her presence though the two of them continued to sit in silence, watching Enjolras as he spoke with passion, filling everyone in the room with hope and excitement, adrenaline pumping round the room, bouncing off the walls and windows. When he was done everyone was standing, cheering and joining in with him. Eponine looked around at all her friends and then finally to Enjolras who was doing the same as her, the same scowl from the day they met plastered on his face though it broke into a full smile when they locked eyes.

"Looks like you've broken the Marble Man." Marius said from beside her, causing her simply to blush and look down at the ground. "That's a good thing by the way, I've always told him he needed a girl in his life." Eponine giggled at her friend's words.

She looked back up from the ground and over at Enjolras who was deep in conversation with Bahorel, Feuilly and Courfeyrac, Gavroche standing attentively to the side of them, she then turned her attention back to Marius.

"And you Monsieur, how's your love life going?" She asked.

"It is going well, I intend to visit Cosette tonight."

"That's good, I'm pleased for you Marius."

As she heard the words fall from her lips she realised they were entirely genuine, she was pleased for him. No longer was she angry at Cosette for taking Marius away from her. No longer was she sad that she did not have a chance with Marius as she realised she had never had one in the first place. Something new came over her when she said those words, a new feeling of happiness, a feeling which filled the hole she had felt in her heart for all the years she had lived in Paris and known Marius. She realised in that moment that only one person could have filled that empy feeling and that was Enjolras. She was in love with Enjolras. She hadn't known him long but the slight feeling of an impending doom brought about by this revolution made her see that her feelings for him were so strong. The thoughts swirled around her head, the words repeating over and over 'I love Enjolras', 'I love Enjolras'.

"Eponine?" She head beside her, waking her from her thoughts.

"Oh sorry Marius, what were you saying?"

"I wondered whether you'd like to come with me to see Cosette tonight, I know she'd like to see you."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to interrupt, I'm going to stay here with Enjolras I think." She replied, her new found feelings still clouding her mind.

"I understand. I should go now if I want to make it there before it gets too late. I'll go wish Enjolras a good night. Goodnight to you too Eponine." He said, standing from the table and walking off to the group in the centre of the room.

Eponine sat by herself for a little while, waving a polite goodbye to each member of the Amis as they left, her mind was still full of different thoughts, making it impossible to put together a short goodbye so she decided a wave would have to suffice.

Soon, when there was only Grantaire and Enjolras left, the two of them locked in some kind of debate, Eponine made her way over the table they'd taken residence at.

"And what are you boys arguing about?" She asked, smiling.

"Nothing." Enjolras dismissed quickly.

"Except it's not nothing is it Enj?" Grantaire slurred from across the table. "It's about Eponine isn't it Enj? It's about her, it's all about her, everything's about her."

"What is he talking about?" She asked.

"I don't know, he doesn't know what he's talking about, he's drunk." Enjolras replied quickly again.

"I do know what I'm talking about, you know too Enj, I'm talking about you two." He said, waving a finger accusingly between the two of them. "We know you're a thing, but do you? Think about it Enj, putting yourself on the front line in the revolution, you and I both know your chances of survival are slim and how would you feel if you died never getting to tell Eponine how you really felt? And Eponine, what about you? What if Enj here died and you didn't get to tell him how you felt?"

"Grantaire you talk crap." Enjolras said, shutting down his friend while Eponine kept quiet, her eyes focussed on the ground at all times.

"Well I'll be off now then, I've offered my pearls of wisdom and now I have a date with a bottle of brandy at home that I'd really rather not be late for so you'll have to excuse me." Grantaire said, stumbling away from the table. "Eponine, I know what your silence means but he doesn't, you might have to spell it out for him." He wispered in her ear as he made his way to the stairs and left them alone in the cafe.

"Sorry about him, he lets the wine talk for him." Enjolras apologised once Grantaire had left.

"I actually agree with him." Eponine said quietly.

"You what?"

"I agree with him. He's right, you have a very high chance of dying in this revolution and then there'll be so many things left unsaid between us."

"What do you want me to say then Eponine?"

"I suppose I want to know what you think this is."

"What I think what is? I'm afraid I don't follow you."

"He said I'd have to spell it for you, tell you what; I'll say what I feel and then you tell me if you agree."

"Ok..?"

"Ok here goes nothing." Eponine said, taking a deep breath in. "I know we haven't known each other very long but I've enjoyed the last few weeks we've spent together more than almost any other few weeks in my life. You've made waking up in the morning seem worthwhile again, you encourage me to try my hardest at everything I do and not to give up on what I believe in. I feel warm when I'm with you, even on the darkest, coldest nights when I'm forced to sleep under bridges or on the streets to hide from my real life, all I have to do is close my eyes and think of my life with you and I feel warm again. What I'm trying to say is you make me feel whole Enjolras, I think I've fallen in love with you."

"Eponine. I-." He stuttered, obviously not knowing what to say in reply.

"You don't have to say you feel the same."

"But I think I do, for the last week I've been confused by everything. Tonight when you came to me in the backroom I'd been thinking about the outcomes of this revolution again, I mean, we're all hoping for the best but I know we have to prepare for the worst. Before I met you I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it all but now I can't help but feel like I'm leading my friends to their deaths. How would I feel if I was their families, being told they'd been killed. I imagined you hearing I'd been killed, Eponine, I imagined how that would hurt you, I thought I can't do that to other people's families and lovers. That was when it hit me too Eponine, I heard myself use that word; lovers, and I realised that's what you are. You are my lover, I think I've fallen in love with you too."

"Enjolras." Eponine said, a hot tear rolling down her cheek.

"You truly have broken me Eponine Thenardier." He laughed, cupping his hand to her face and wiping the tear away with his thumb.

"The Marble Man is crumbling." She laughed back, a few more tears sliding down her cheeks and soon she was laughing hysterically, her tears falling and falling. At first Enjolras was concerned but within seconds he had joined her in laughing. The two of them looked a total state, sat alone upstairs in the cafe, holding hands across the table, laughing so hard they were crying uncontrollably.

"So Mademoiselle." Enjolras said, in a posh voice, between laughs. "Shall we go back to mine?"

"Why yes Monsieur, I think that would be lovely." Eponine replied, copying his voice and trying to get her breath back.

As they stepped outside the cafe they noticed the rain falling all around them, soaking everything in sight.

"We can't walk home in this." Enjolras cried in frustration.

"Who said we can't?" Eponine asked, letting go of his hand and strolling out into the road, her arms out either side of her, letting the raindrops splash down on her.

"Well nobody said..." Enjolras began mumbling before Eponine ran back and dragged him out into the street with her.

"Come on!" She laughed, pulling him down the roads, the two of them getting soaked through.

When they reached Enjolras' house he quickly let them inside and took Eponine's hand, leading her up the stairs to his room. They collapsed down beside each other on his bed, their fingers still intertwined. Enjolras sat up slowly and rolled over so he was lying on top of her, looking directly down at her smiling face.

"We probably shouldn't do this." He mumbled.

"And you probably shouldn't lead a rebellion against the government but you're still doing it. You're a revolutionary. Breaking rules is your thing." She laughed, moving her face closer to his.

"I think I love you Eponine."

"I know I love you Enjolras."

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><p><strong>AN We've got us some barricade talk now! This one's a little bit of a filler leading into the next one (which I think might be my favourite chapter yet) so it's got a bit of scared Enj, revolutionary Enj, a little bit of drunk Grantaire and some Enjonine fluff for you all. Hopefully that caters for everyone's needs and you all like it. Drop me a review and let me know what you think and give me a follow on tumblr if you're over there (barricades-of-red)  
>Sorry for the shameless self promo tonight. Till next time pals.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - The Barricade

**A/N Hellooo! We've reached the barricades now pals! Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Waking up on the morning of the 5th of June was something Eponine deeply wished she didn't have to do however when her eyes fluttered open in the early hours she knew she had to get up and make the most of the day. She awoke in Enjolras' bed as the two of them had come to the mutual decision, the night before, that it could be their last night together and therefore they should spend it in each others company. The evening of the 4th had been spent sat together on the floor of Enjolras' library reading the titles of books to each other and discussing them for some time before Enjolras proceeded to teach Eponine the rules of a card game which she quickly grasped and they continued to play for the rest of the night.<p>

When Eponine made her way downstairs she found Enjolras sat in his study staring at a plan of the barricades and their attacking strategies. Seeing him so consumed by his work made Eponine smile slightly though it was a sad smile as she knew what his work entailed.

The two of them sat together at Enjolras' small kitchen table enjoying a breakfast of french toast and jam which Eponine had prepared especially.

"Today's the day." Eponine said, breaking the silence while they ate.

"Today is the day." Enjolras replied, keeping his eyes fixed on his food.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, picking up a piece of toast on her fork.

"I don't know how to answer that question, my head is all over the place, I'm excited and nervous and ready but completely terrified at the same time."

"I understand." Eponine nodded, she didn't know what to say or how to comfort him as she'd never been in a situation comparable before.

"Eponine just promise me one thing?"

"What is it?"

"Promise me you won't come to the barricades."

"But I can't leave you."

"I thought you might say that." He said, shaking his head. "I need you to stay here, it won't be safe for you there, I don't want you getting hurt."

"There's nothing to say I would get hurt, I could be careful and leave if it got really bad?"

"There's a lot to say you could Eponine, I won't let you go there." The firmness in his voice gave Eponine the impression that he was deadly serious about this and her protests would have no avail.

"Fine." She sighed, refusing to look at him.

"It's what's best for you Eponine." She knew he was looking out for her but she felt annoyed that he'd always said he was fighting for people like her but when it came down to her she wasn't allowed to help in any way.

A few hours on from their discussion over breakfast and they were both sat in the cafe, all arguments forgotten (though Eponine was still thinking of how she could be involved), and the rest of the boys were arriving, eager to hear more of the plans for the day ahead. When they arrived they quickly set about preparing the weapons and ammunition they would need for the fight, all cheering and shouting as they did so.

"Everybody listen now!" Enjolras called over the noise before he began to reiterate the plans and assign everyone their positions and jobs. Eponine sat towards the back as she had done before and once again found herself enthralled by Enjolras' motivational skills, the speech once again ending with the cheers and shouts of the boys.

"Has anyone seen Grantaire?" Enjolras asked a little later on.

"I saw him outside a bar this morning, he looked pretty rough, as though he'd been drinking all night." Bahorel replied.

"Nice to see he's taking this seriously then, I won't expect him to show up later." Enjolras sighed.

"Don't be too harsh on him, you never know he might turn up." Eponine replied, taking his hand for reassurance.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up too high."

By the time 3 o'clock came around the boys were all positioned in the crowd awaiting the arrival of Lamarque's funeral procession. When it passed them Enjolras would jump out into its path, waving the large red flag he'd brought with them, riling up the crowd causing commotion amongst the national guard.

Eponine stood in the crowd, the anticipation bubbling up inside her, adrenaline pumping through her veins, she was ready to join in the fight. When the carriage came into sight Enjolras begun to chant, the words echoing throughout the crowd as the boys and some other people joined in, by the time the carriage was directly in front of them he had made his way to the front of the crowd, ready to throw himself out and proudly wave the red flag of the revolution.

As soon as he made the move the rest of the boys followed suit, Enjolras and Marius climbed on top of the carriage, Courfeyrac, Combeferre and Joly stood on the sides, pumping their fists into the air whilst the rest of them, including Eponine, walked along side, shouting and calling, encouraging the rest of the crowd to join in.

So wrapped up in the action, Eponine was only awoken from her adrenaline rush when the sound a gunshot brought her back to reality. A woman had been shot. An innocent bystander shot by the national guard, this caused more commotion from the boys as they began to launch into an attack.

"To the barricades!" Eponine heard over the noise before a hand grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the street back towards the cafe.

From the second they arrived at the cafe the barricade began to take shape, furniture was falling from windows everywhere creating a huge structure, blocking the entire street where her and Enjolras had run in the rain just a few nights before. It was real now. This was really happening.

"Eponine go back to mine now, who knows when the fighting will begin." Enjolras said then quickly turned to give instructions to another man who'd joined in then turned back to face her.

"I don't want to leave you."

"But you have to. I'll be fine I promise, you know me, I know what I'm doing, it will all be fine Eponine."

"I hope you're right." She said, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

"You have to believe." He replied, Eponine looked up, her tear filled eyes meeting his and she noticed the glint of a tear in his own eye.

"I love you Enjolras."

"I love you too Eponine, now go read some book titles in the library and I'll come join you as soon as I can."

"Please just be careful." She said before slowly turning and leaving the barricade site, looking back over her shoulder to see Enjolras looking down and kicking the ground and the rest of the boys watching on at the encounter between the two of them. "Be careful all of you. I love you all and I'll see you all soon." She wiped another tear from her eye then took off running down the street as she could no longer handle the goodbyes.

Eponine sat on the sofa in Enjolras' library that night, her knees pulled tight against her chest, her chin resting on top, tears silently falling down her cheeks. No sound escaped her, no thoughts reached her mind, goosebumps covered her arms as she shook, every part of her body was consumed by the fear and emptiness she currently felt. She jumped when she heard gunfire outside in the surrounding streets, not knowing what was happening to Enjolras right now was killing her. She needed to know.

She looked outside the window and saw no fighting so thought it safe to open the front door and see what was actually going on, she couldn't stand being held inside the house. When she opened the door she noticed a small boy wandering up and down and an idea came to her.

"Boy!" She called from the front step. "How would you like to do something for me?" She asked when he came over.

"Depends on what it is, don't it Miss."

"Could you deliver a message to one of the barricades for me?"

"You'd have to pay and on a night like this I won't do it for cheap."

"I understand, how about 5 sous?"

"Get me the letter, tell me which barricade and I'll do it."

"Very good, let me just write it and get you the money." She said before she hurried off to write a note for Enjolras.

_Enjolras,_

_There is nothing I can tell myself right now to convince myself that you're ok but a word from you will help to comfort my nerves. Please just let me know how you are._

_I know you're doing something amazing, I'm so proud of you._

_I love you always,_

_Eponine._

A tear slid down her cheek again writing the note but she quickly handed it over to the boy with the 5 sous and told him where to go, instructing him to come straight back with any news. When he had left she sat back down on the sofa as she had been before.

After what seemed like a lifetime there was a knock on the door and Eponine saw the same boy standing on the doorstep.

"Any news?" She practically shouted at him when she opened the door.

"I saw him, spoke to him, gave him the letter myself I did." Eponine breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did he say to you?"

"Told me to let you know he's ok and he'll see you soon."

"Anything else?"

"Oh and he said he loves you." The boy said, pulling a face as he did so.

"Thank you so much, what's your name?"

"Daniel Miss."

"Well Daniel, thank you so much, you have been of much help."

"No trouble, thanks for the money."

"Glad to help, stay safe now Daniel, it's dangerous out there tonight."

"See you round Miss." Eponine shut the door and couldn't help think how much young Daniel reminded her of Gavroche, she was terrified for him too, he had insisted he did something in the revolution and was out on the barricades at the moment but Enjolras' words of reassurance calmed her nerves slightly. They were ok for now.

That night Eponine didn't sleep, she lay on Enjolras' side of the bed, her face buried in the pillows, which smelt of him, though she could not sleep, too much played on her mind. When morning broke she'd managed about an hours sleep in total throughout the whole night, she felt awful but she had decided in the night that she would visit the barricade this morning though the thought terrified her.

She cautiously made her way through the streets, hiding in shadows and peeking round corners before moving to avoid any national guardsmen who were strolling around. She was about 3 streets away from the cafe when she heard canon fire in the direction she was heading. She froze dead in her tracks, that had to be Enjolras' barricade, her heart raced a mile a minute.

The canons subsided but the gunfire began, she edged closer to the cafe until she was on the next street away, from here she could hear the shouts of the men as they tried to run and hide but nobody would let them into their houses. She heard screams as men on both sides were shot and muddled calls of instruction echoed all around. She carefully stepped round a corner, hiding in a shadow so none of the national guard could see her but she could see the barricade.

Men in uniforms were climbing over the furniture while students in their normal clothes ran all over the place, trying to fight back as best they could but knowing it was probably in vain. She recognised Joly and Combeferre as they ran past shouting, she wanted to call out to them, grab them and get them to safety but she knew it was near impossible as she'd likely be seen and killed too. Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw Marius hit by a bullet in the collarbone and he fell to the ground, she felt sick to see her friends shot at.

"Not a pretty sight is it?" A voice said beside her and she almost screamed.

"Grantaire you scared me." She said when she realised who it was.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

"I could say the same about you, last I heard you were passed out outside a bar somewhere."

"I thought I should show my support, lend a hand. You know?"

"I think you might be a little late."

"I'll go see what I can do. He really loves you by the way Eponine."

"What?" She asked, confused by his blasé approach to the situation at hand.

"Enjolras. Never seen him happier. I'll make sure he gets back to you." Grantaire said before he staggered out from the shadow the two of them had been standing in. Eponine followed him with her eyes and noticed everyone had run inside the cafe by now. Bodies from both sides lay abandoned on the street which was now turning red from all the blood. She felt sick again.

A set of gunshots from the cafe startled her then she heard the thud of bodies hitting the floor and she realised they were likely her friends. Friends she'd never see again. She looked up at the cafe, the place once filled with some much hope and happiness, now it was just a shell of a place that used to be so homely and welcoming.

A flash of red caught her eye through the upstairs window then she noticed the familiar mop of blonde hair, now messed up and matted by dried blood. Enjolras. He was still alive, though she assumed he was currently cornered as he stood with his back to the window, the large red flag held tightly in his right hand. She continued to watch and she saw a mop of curly brown hair appear next to him, the same mop that had just been stood beside her, Grantaire had come through just as she'd said he would.

The two men stood together at the window, Enjolras raised the flag as he punched the air and at that moment Eponine had to look away as she heard the gunshots of the soldiers mercilessly killing her one true love, shooting at him as though he was merely a tin can on a wall.

Eponine couldn't move, her feet were fixed to the spot, she was now staring at the cafe, unable to tear her eyes away, she shrunk down against the wall of the building behind her, sitting down on the street, tucking herself as tightly into the shadows as she could. Tears silently rolled down her cheeks, goosebumps appeared all over her and she began to shake silently, not even knowing what emotion was filling her body.

"Well that's this barricade business finished." A voice nearby said as two soldiers walked past the end of the street she was on.

"Yeh we finished this lot off pretty well, no one will try this again in a hurry." The other one laughed in reply. Eponine felt sick, how dare they talk about Enjolras and the boys like that.

"Shooting silly little boys is thirsty work, none of us have to be back here for a few hours, shall we all go get cleaned up and a grab a drink?" A different voice asked and a few cheers nearby replied.

When Eponine was sure they'd all left she silently stood in the shadow and looked out to check there was no one there. She noticed a couple of women had come out to inspect the barricade scene, possibly looking for loved ones so she felt the coast was clear for her to go out and look too.

She had hardly taken more than 5 steps when she looked down to see the glassy eyes of her younger brother looking back up at her, his body carelessly thrown down onto the stone, blood seeping through his jacket. She found herself unable to make a sound but the tears continued to fall faster and harder. Never again would she see or talk to her little brother, the thought killed her.

She couldn't bear to stand near him any longer so she made her way towards the cafe, stepping over bodies as she did so, she recognised the faces of Courfeyrac, Bossuet and Jehan as she did so. Not knowing what to do she kept walking until she was inside the cafe, however she no longer felt safe there.

She cautiously climbed what was left of the stairs, bracing herself for awaited her at the top, first she was met with the bodies of Joly, Combeferre, Bahorel and Feuilly crumpled on top of each other, she honestly felt sick seeing all her friends like this.

Lifting her head slightly she saw him, collapsed against the windowsill, Grantaire sprawled out across his feet looking as if he'd thrown himself infront of his friend, her breath hitched in her throat as she took a step towards their bodies. She looked closer and noticed the two of them were still breathing very shallowly.

A choke escaped Grantaire. "Enj?" He just about managed.

Enjolras just wheezed in reply.

"Live." He choked again before a coughing fit overtook his whole body and he eventually gave in and succumbed to the death that he knew awaited him.

Eponine stood silently, watching the moment between the two of them, her eyes almost run out of tears.

"Enjolras." She said quickly when she regained the ability to speak. His eyes fluttered open slightly and he breathed out heavily. "Do as Grantaire said, don't die on me now, I'm going to get you out of here, were you shot in your legs?"

He grunted a kind of reply that Eponine thought was a no as she couldn't see any obvious bullet wounds below his waist.

"This will hurt but you need to do as I say." She said as she positioned herself under his arms for support then began to lift him up earning all manner of noises from him. It would be a long walk home but there she could help him. She needed him to live.

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><p><strong>AN I loved writing this chapter so hopefully you've all liked reading it, Grantaire almost made me cry and I was the one writing him so sorry if I messed with anyones emotions there. I think we might be over half way through this now (I haven't finished it and do't know how much longer it will be) which is kind of sad but I've written the first chapter of my new one now and I'm so excited by it!  
>Anyway, leave me a review and see you all soon! :)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - The Aftermath**

**A/N Sorry this took so long I've been away but anyway here's a kind of happy/kind of sad chapter to make up for it **

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><p>The walk from the cafe back to Enjolras' was one of the longest Eponine had ever endured in her life. She stopped before stepping around every corner, her eyes peeled for any signs of soldiers nearby, she also had to stop on numerous occasions to check that Enjolras was still breathing, his breath, however remained shallow yet constant the whole way back, a fact she was incredibly glad of.<p>

Eponine had no knowledge of medicines herself and she knew that leaving Enjolras in the condition he was in would be incredibly risky so she made the best efforts she could to clean him up before she made her next move in trying to find a doctor to treat him before it was too late.

"What would Joly do?" Eponine asked herself having laid Enjolras down on the kitchen table where they had sat together just 24 hours ago. "'Assess the wounds'" She quoted her friend as she remembered what he'd said when Grantaire once strolled into the cafe with a large cut down one side of his face.

She hurriedly undid his, once white, shirt, carefully though so not to injure him further. She noticed now for the first time that in the fight he had lost his iconic red blazer, something which he wore as a symbol of the revolution. Losing the jacket almost felt, to Eponine, as though he'd accepted the loss of the revolution. Pushing her personal thoughts to the back of her mind she concentrated fully on her patient, looking over his body and counting the eight bullet holes which littered his chest and arms, blood continuing to coat everything. She reached for a nearby towel and ran it under the warm water from the tap before she set about wiping his chest clean so she more clearly see the extent of the damage.

Once his chest was cleaner she stood up straight and looked down at him, lying helpless on his table, his eyes barely open, his breath sharp.

"Enjolras, do you trust me?" She asked, knowing it was a stupid question as she would do the same thing regardless of his answer but for some reason she wanted to know if she was betraying him or not. His reply was a snort kind of noise which was neither a yes or no and Eponine realised that he probably didn't even know who she was at that moment. "This will hurt but I have to do it ok?" She reassured him though she was not sure it was particularly reassuring.

She balled up the towel she had previously used to clean his wounds and picked out the worst one and pressed the towel down on top of it, at this he inhaled sharply through his teeth making a hissing noise alerting Eponine to his pain.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly, tears almost spilling over her eyes again. She took his hand and placed it over the towel, pressing it down with her own. "Keep that there. I need to find someone to help you better than I can."

She couldn't stand leaving him there on the table knowing that when she returned he could be dead but there was nothing else she could do for him herself so she had to go out and find some professional help.

"Enjolras, don't give up. You've got to be strong now, stronger than you've ever been. I won't be long. Just hold it together. I love you." She said then ran out the house in search of a doctor.

At the end of Enjolras' road she spotted girl and boy, possibly slightly younger than herself wheeling a flower cart in the opposite direction. She quickly ran after them hoping they could point her in the direction of a doctor.

"Stop! Help me please!" She shouted frantically after them. "Help, please, I need a doctor!"

"Eponine?" The girl replied when she turned around and saw the crazed Eponine running towards them.

"Azelma?! Azelma oh god! Thank Goodness you're ok!"

"I'm fine, you're obviously not, what's happened?" Her sister replied pulling her into a tight hug.

"It's Enjolras, he's badly wounded, I need a doctor quick!" Eponine said in one breath.

"Where is he?" She asked worriedly.

"He's at his house, I dragged him from the barricade. Please 'Zelma help me."

"'Ponine of course I'll help you, you go to Enjolras, I'll go find a doctor and bring him to you. Luc can you take the stall on your own?"

"Of course I can. You help your sister she needs you much mroe than I do right now." The boy spoke for the first time and Eponine remembered when Azelma had first talked of him.

"Go Eponine, I'll go as quickly as I can." Azelma said, pushing her back down the street towards Enjolras's house.

"Please do 'Zelma!" She called back over her shoulder before running back to Enjolras.

When she arrived back at his side she saw that Enjolras hadn't moved an inch and he was still in the same state as before, his breath shallow and his chest bleeding. She took some consolation in this as at least he was not deteriorating but still she set about cleaning him up again and putting pressure on the wounds until the doctor arrived. The wait for Azelma to return was agonising for Eponine, it felt like hours had passed when in reality she knew it was only a matter of 20 minutes.

When the doctor, a short, slightly round man who appeared to be balding prematurely, arrived at the front door accompanied by a younger man, pressumably his apprentice, Eponine quickly led them through to the kitchen where they gasped at the sight before him.

"Miss, this is a very bad case, I'm surprised he's still breathing to be honest with you, I'll try my best but you have to be prepared for the worst." The doctor said, looking over Enjolras' bare chest, blood seeping through the towels all around him.

"I'll prepare for what I want thank you, just fix him!" Eponine yelled at the doctor, frustrated at him for telling her what she already knew.

"Ep, I think it's best if we go outside." Azelma said, taking her arm and leading her into the library, shutting the kitchen door after them.

It was only once Eponine was sat on the sofa in the library that she broke down, she let the tears stream from her eyes again, not realising how long she'd been trying to hold it together for. Her whole face stung, her arms and legs ached from the lack of sleep the night before and the difficult walk she made that morning dragging Enjolras from the barricade.

"What if they can't fix him though 'Zelma? What if I never see him again?" she said between sobs.

"You can't think like that 'Ponine, Enjolras would want you to be strong and think that he'll pull through wouldn't he?" Eponine simply nodded a feeble nod in reply, almost all the energy gone from her body now. "Just wait until the doctor's done then we'll see." Azelma told her sister before she noticed she had fallen asleep (or passed out from exhaustion) on her shoulder.

It was over an hour before the sheepish young boy who had accompanied the doctor reemerged from the kitchen and sought out Eponine and Azelma to tell them how Enjolras was.

"Excuse me Mademoiselles." He said, clearing his throat in the doorway. At this Azelma turned around though Eponine remained fast asleep. "The doctor removed the bullets and he's stable right now but he'll need close monitoring. We're going to carry him upstairs and put him in a bed, can you tell us which is his room?"

"Oh I er don't actually know. Eponine?" Azelma said shaking her sister lightly though she still did not wake.

"Is she ok?" The boy asked, coming over to the sofa.

"She was exhausted, she passed out just after we came in here." Azelma explained and the boy nodded, hurrying out back to the kitchen before returning with the doctor.

"Exhaustion? That's easily dealt with, I'll give her this now and then she'll just have to sleep it off." He said holding up a bottle of some dark coloured, sickly looking liquid which he placed to Eponine's lips and made her drink some of it in her semi conscious state. "We shall take the Monsieur upstairs now, can you get you sister up there too?" He asked Azelma.

"Yes, I'll manage." She said, lifting Eponine and placing her arm over her shoulder so she could support weight her more evenly.

Once both Eponine and Enjolras had been placed in beds in rooms opposite each other and the doctor had left Azelma with instructions of how to care for them him and the young boy left and Azelma returned downstairs to tidy up the kitchen.

"'Zelma?" She heard a tired voice say from behind her as she sat on the sofa in the library, looking at the book held in her hands. Placing it down beside her and turning to the door she saw Eponine standing there, still looking tired but looking better all the same.

"Oh 'Ponine, you're awake, how are you." She said hurrying to her sister's side

"I'm fine, how is he?"

"He's ok 'Ponine, he's sleeping at the moment, the doctor removed all the bullets and stitched him up, he said he was very lucky none of the bullets punctured his lungs or hit his heart, if that had happened he would have died instantly. He told me most of the bullets were in his stomach while one of them skimmed his side and two were in his arms."

"But he's alive?" She asked again, hardly believing what she heard.

"Yes he's alive but we have to leave him to sleep 'Ponine." Azelma told her.

"I know. Oh 'Zelma I'm so relieved. I still can't believe everything that's happened in the past 24 hours. The sights at the barricade were horrific, 'Zelma, I hope for everybody's sake that we never have to experience that again. So many lives were lost, oh 'Zelma, Gavroche. He was shot, I saw him lying on the ground when I went to find Enjolras, he was cold when I found him. He was too young 'Zelma, he shouldn't of died." She said, beginning to shake again as her sister held onto her and led her to the sofa. "I can't believe I found you when I did, it was surely fate and that Luc of yours, he truly seems lovely 'Zelma, you must give him my thanks for being so understanding when you see him next."

"'Ponine calm down. Eponine." Azelma snapped at her sister, silencing her.

"I'm sorry. I'm just overwhelmed by it all."

"I know you are but you will do yourself more harm than good by going off like that every time you speak."

"I'm sorry Azelma." Eponine said quietly. "Can I at least see Enjolras?"

"If you must but don't wake him, he needs to recover properly."

Eponine tentatively made her way up the stairs and stopped outside Enjolras' bedroom, though she'd been in there before she felt terrified to enter this time, the idea of not knowing how she'd find him scared her immensely. She gently pushed the door open and stepped inside the dark room where the man she'd dragged from the barricade just hours earlier was now lying asleep.

She sat herself down on the edge of the bed and took his hand in hers.

"Enj, I'm so glad you're still here. Thank you for holding on, I don't know what I'd do without you. I can't stay here long, I think Azelma might be spying on me but I just wanted to tell you I love you and I'll see you when you wake up." She said, kissing his hand and placing it back down by his side before she left the room.

Eponine reentered the library and sat down next to her sister.

"Eponine, I'm going to go find Luc now, will you be ok if I come back and check on you and Enjolras this evening?" Azelma asked.

"Yes I'm sure I'll be fine, thank you 'Zelma."

"It's no problem, I know you'd do the same for me." Her sister said pulling her in for a hug. "I'd best go now."

"'Zelma?" Eponine asked right before her sister walked out the house. "Why were you reading a book about Robespierre?"

"I remembered what you said about him when I saw that book on the shelf and thought maybe you were right. You are about most things." She said smiling causing a smile to appear on Eponine's face too.

That night after Azelma had come back and checked on their progress Eponine made her way up the stairs and sat down on the bed in the spare room which she had taken over since Enjolras lay sprawled across his own bed. She curled up under the covers and tried to sleep though the images of the scene at the barricade seemed burned onto her eyelids and she couldn't stop seeing them.

She thought of all her friends individually; Courfeyrac, she'd never hear him joking around with her brother again. Combeferre would never stand beside her and say exactly what she was thinking without her even saying a word. Joly would never obsess over her health again, she'd never see Bossuet trip up the stairs in his rush into the cafe. Her and Feuilly would never have another debate about the best croissants in Paris as they had done one time and Bahorel would never try and bet her for all she was worth over whether Enjolras would use the word revolution in his speech - something which she never entered into as of course he always would. She thought about Grantaire too, her encounters with him had always been slightly cryptic, perhaps because of all the alcohol running through his veins but even still every conversation she'd had with came with its own kind of wisdom. He always managed to make her realise the truth of whatever situation she was in, even when it should of been completely obvious he'd always have to point it out for her in a way only Grantaire could. Casting her thoughts to Marius she realised she had not seen him when she walked through the barricade site after the battle, she hoped he was ok, perhaps the fact that he was not there was a good thing, maybe someone had taken pity on him and rescued him.

She was abruptly woken from her thoughts when a shouting came from the room across the hall. Eponine quickly ran to Enjolras' side to comfort him.

"Enjolras, calm down, it's fine I'm here." She said taking his hand though he sharply pulled it away.

"Go away." He sobbed.

"What? Enjolras?" Eponine said, not believing what she heard.

"You should of let me die."

"No. How could I ever?"

"It's my fault they all died, I should of gone down too like the captain of a ship. That rebellion was my ship, I was the captain, I should of died."

"Enjolras. Don't think like that."

"How can I not. You know what Eponine. I don't want to talk to you. Just leave me."

"Enj-"

"Go."

Eponine reluctantly left the room, shutting the door behind her. When she got back into her bed she curled herself up into a ball as tight as she could and cried silently as she had done on many nights when she was younger after her parents had beat her. She felt as though she'd been beaten again now though this time it was her heart that had taken the beating and that would take a lot more to mend than a simple black eye.

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><p><strong>AN Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter by the way guys, I'm sorry if I made anyone cry but I'm also kind of honoured that people cried because I guess it shows it was kind of written alright haha.****  
><strong>**Anyway I have some news... I HAVE A NEW LAPTOP! That ****probably doesn't interest anyone in the slightest but what it does mean is that I can now use accents in my writing however as this story hasn't had accents all the way through I won't start using them until my next story.  
>Thanks for all your reads and reviews and all the rest guys, see you soon :)<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Enjolras' House

**A/N Hey guys, I'm aware that this is the shortest chapter I've ever written and for that I'm very sorry but it's completely a filler and hopefully you can find it in your hearts to forgive me :)**

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><p>Her eyes stung, her throat ached, her palms had marks in them from where she'd clenched her fists so tightly her nails had dug into them. Everything about Eponine hurt when she woke up the next morning, she thought back to the middle of the night when Enjolras had told her she should have let him die. How could he say that? All she'd done was help him and this was his thanks?<p>

She sat up in bed and looked out the window into the street below, a young boy was standing not too far from the house holding up a newspaper. She quickly put a coat on over her pyjamas and slipped on her shoes then picked up some coins on the way out and went to buy a paper from the boy.

"Mornin' Miss, 2 sous please." The boy said.

"Here you are, have 3." Eponine replied, placing the three coins she'd slid off the table into the boy's hands.

"Thanks Miss, have a good day."

Eponine made her way back to the house reading the front page of the paper, the headline simply said "Nobody Joined In Their Crusade" She skimmed the article but she froze in her tracks when she reached the final sentence.

"Police are now on the look out for the leader of this rebellion, known simply as 'Enjolras' this man is wanted for high treason, anyone with any knowledge of his whereabouts should contact the police immediately so not to prolong his capture."

She ran back through the door and slammed it behind her, her chest heaving as she tried to recover her breath.

"Eponine." She heard a quiet voice say from upstairs and she stood back up and followed it to Enjolras' room, the newspaper still held tightly in her hands.

"So you're talking to me this morning?" She asked bitterly.

"Only because I need water." He spat back at her.

"So now I'm just your slave?"

"Well do I look capable of getting out this bed and getting it myself?"

"Maybe I should of left you to die at the barricade." She shouted back at him then bit her tongue as she immediately regretted it.

"Well I'm glad we think the same now."

"As am I." She replied, she didn't mean it at all, she was just angry.

"Good. Now get my water, it's the least you can do for me."

"Oh yeah because saving your life just wasn't enough?" Eponine mumbled as she stormed out the room carrying his glass.

When she returned to his room she saw him sat up slightly more in the bed, a pillow behind his head propping him up and the newspaper she just bought in his hand.

"They're looking for me." He noted as she set the glass down beside him.

"You weren't supposed to see that."

"Why? Because you think it will scare me? I'm not scared of the police, they should be scared of me."

"That's exactly why you weren't supposed to see it."

"Oh, because it will scare you." He replied, the pieces clicking into place in his mind and his expression softening slightly for the first time since they started speaking.

"I don't want you to do something stupid again."

"The barricades weren't stupid." He snapped back.

"No, I know they weren't, they just didn't end the way we all wanted them to, I don't want you to do something something like that again, ok?"

"I won't." Eponine breathed a sigh of relief. "Not for a while anyway."

The two of them sat on Enjolras' bed looking at each other, within the last two days they both seemed to have changed so much. Enjolras' face with it's strong, square jawline had sunk slightly, every feature looked tired and his eyes had lost their usual sparkle. Eponine's face looked almost older now, she no longer looked quite so much like an oversized street child but now more like an actual woman though she was still dressed in the same old rags as before.

A knock from the front door startled them both from their thoughts and Eponine hurried down the stairs to see who it was. She cautiously opened the door and was very surprised to see who was standing before her.

"Eponine?" Cosette squealed and threw her arms around her.

"Cosette? What are you doing here?" She asked in disbelief.

"Marius told me this was Enjolras' house, we saw the newspaper and Marius said that if they hadn't found him at the barricades then he could be here so he sent me to see. I did not expect to find you here, is Monsieur Enjolras here?" Cosette spoke very quickly and excitedly.

"Yes he's here, you'd best come inside Cosette." Eponine replied, pulling the girl in and shutting the door behind her. "Come into the kitchen."

Eponine set about making some food and drinks for the two of them as well as a little extra for Enjolras.

"So Marius is ok?" She asked while she hurried back and forth around the kitchen.

"Oh yes, he's a bit weak and his arm is in a sling but he's a lot more awake and talking again this morning, he won't speak of the barricade though. When I read the newspaper this morning he waited until I was out the room to read it for himself and when he returned he said nothing of the matter other than the fact that Enjolras may be here and I should come and see."

"Enjolras is the same, he can't move from his bed yet, he's in an awful mood though. He says I should have left him at the barricade to die, that I was wrong to save him. When he read the newspaper all he said was that he's not scared of the police and I had to tell him not to do anything stupid."

"What have we got ourselves into Eponine?" Cosette asked, taking her friend's hand across the table.

"I honestly don't know any more Cosette, it's a bit of a mess."

"Just a little" Cosette laughed back, Eponine was actually glad to hear her laugh, it reminded her that she did still have people around her, though it was a significantly smaller number than just days before, she still had Cosette, Marius and hopefully Enjolras.

Cosette stayed with Eponine for the rest of the day, not leaving until about 4 in the afternoon. The two girls chatted for hours, drank copious amounts of tea and laughed until their sides hurt.

"Thank you for such a wonderful day Eponine." Cosette said when they were stood back at the front door.

"It's been no trouble Cosette, thank you for your company, we must do this again."

"We must, I shall make sure of it, and when Marius and Enjolras are well again they shall be able to join us."

They shared a tight, long hug on the doorstep before Cosette turned around and walked back out down the street, waving to Eponine as she did so.

Eponine went back inside the house and shut the door behind her, hearing, once again, the small call of her name from Enjolras upstairs.

"Yes?" She asked from his doorway.

"Did you have a good day with Cosette?" He asked.

"Why do you care?"

"I have nothing else to do up here, I thought I might as well make some light conversation to pass the time."

"Well then yes, it was lovely, she was much better company than you are currently being."

"I'm glad to hear of it, I was never one for girly chit chat so at least now I know I shan't have to concern myself with it."

Eponine tried to come up with a witty comeback though she was not able to in time so instead she just stood in the doorway moving her mouth slightly trying to form words, earning her a suppressed laugh from Enjolras.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, I'll still be here when you think of something." He laughed.

"Urgh!" Eponine shouted and stomped out the room, down the stairs.

"Can you bring me something to eat?" Enjolras called after her, still laughing to himself.

A few hours later when Eponine had composed herself and was calm again she returned back upstairs with two plates of food, for her and Enjolras, and a stack of books.

"Here. I brought you some dinner and some entertainment." She said placing them all down before him.

"You brought me two plates of food?"

"No, one's for me, I didn't fancy eating alone downstairs."

"Oh I see how it is, now you want my company."

"I don't want us to be like this Enjolras, I don't want every conversation we have to be an argument, you're not the only one who lost friends in this. I've lost my friends too, it's hitting me just as hard as it's hitting you. You may have made promises to those boys and they may have made promises to you that I wasn't part of but they made promises to me too and I can't let them down now. We've both got this far and now it would just be wrong to break off our last links to all of them by fighting with each other. We're all we have now Enjolras." Eponine broke down towards the end, her sobs making her words almost inaudible. Enjolras reached out a hand and placed it down on hers, she almost flinched away but when she realised it was nothing but a loving gesture she allowed him to keep it there.

"What do you mean they made you promises too?" He asked quietly after a while.

"Grantaire." Eponine choked out. "Right before he came into the cafe and stood beside you he'd been standing beside me. He told me he'd never seen you happier and that he'd make sure you got back to me." Enjolras sat completely still, only his lip quivered a little.

"That's why he pushed me out the way when they fired." He whispered.

"Now do you see why I had to save you? I couldn't let Grantaire do all that in vain." Enjolras bowed his head and looked up through his messy blonde curls.

"Thank you Eponine." He finally said so quietly that had the smallest breeze gone past the window at that moment he wouldn't have been heard.

The two of them sat for hours, not speaking, just frozen in the same positions. Eventually Eponine felt her eyes slowly close before she fell asleep and her head lolled down onto her shoulder. Enjolras noticed this and, though he knew she wouldn't hear it he whispered into the darkness of the room. "I'm sorry."

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><p><strong>AN Again, sorry for the short chapter, I had absolutely no plan when I wrote this one so it all just kind of fell onto the page. **

**THERE'S ONLY TWO CHAPTERS LEFT! I'm really sad this is almost finished but I hope you've all enjoyed reading it and hopefully you'll all stick around and check out my next story which I am super excited about as it's very different from this one and very original.**

**Till next time pals.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - The City

**A/N Sorry it's been a week since my last update, hopefully this chapter makes up for it :)**

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><p>It was the 1st of July before Enjolras and Eponine came to the mutual agreement that Enjolras could leave the house again. Had it been up to Enjolras he would have been out the week after the barricades but with Eponine in the house there was no way that was happening, she made sure he wandered no further than the small courtyard behind his house, through the door in his kitchen. On the 1st of July though, a particularly sunny morning, the pair both awoke in Enjolras' bed, as had become custom for them since their dispute had been resolved, and Eponine set about dressing herself and seeing to her hair.<p>

Since moving in together properly, Eponine had visited a dressmakers on Enjolras' word and acquired 3 beautiful new dresses, paid for by his father, though the older Enjolras had no knowledge that this was how his money was being spent. The dresses were truly amazing garments Eponine could only ever have dreamed of when she was a young child stitching flowers onto her bonnets and skirts. From the moment she put one of them on she felt like a proper lady and so made a point of doing her hair each morning to truly fill the role of a Parisian lady.

"You look lovely today 'Ponine." Enjolras said, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her waist.

"As do you." She replied without even turning around, though had she, she would have noticed that he seemed to have forgotten to wear a shirt that morning. At her response he laughed a little before reaching around her and picking up the white shirt from the chair next to her then throwing it over his head and covering his bare chest.

"I can't believe I'm asking you this but may we please go out somewhere today Eponine? I'm so fed up of this house." He said when the two of them were finally sat down at the table in the kitchen.

"You know, I'd been thinking, perhaps it would be good to go out today."

"Oh Eponine, this is excellent! Where shall we go? Who shall we see? What shall we do? So many possibilities." Enjolras cried, jumping in his chair as his excitement grew.

"Calm down." She laughed back, it was good to see him so happy again. "How about we walk to that bakery where we first met and pick up some lunch then perhaps we could visit Marius and Cosette, I'm sure they'd be thrilled to see you."

"You have no idea how much I've missed those apple pastries." Enjolras replied.

"Not your friends?" She laughed back.

"Well them too but those pastries really are something."

Within an hour the two of them had begun their walk through the city towards the small bakery here they first met. Enjolras held Eponine's hand in one of his and a walking cane in the other as Eponine had insisted that it could be a long walk for him and as he was still recovering he should take the cane for support. Eponine was also wary that anyone may recognise Enjolras, though the barricades were almost a month ago now and there had been no more mention of them in the news she was sill worried that someone somewhere may still be looking for him. She did not let her thoughts stop her from enjoying their first say out together in weeks though, as they happily strolled down cobbled street after cobbled street, smiling and laughing as they had done on those days before the barricades.

When they reached the bakery Enjolras' face lit up even more than it had been during their whole walk.

"Look Eponine! We're here! I remember the first time I saw you here." He said, giving her a slight nudge with his elbow causing her to giggle.

Once they'd been inside the little shop and bought their apple pastries the couple sat outside on a bench the baker had placed below his shop window.

"So you remember that day?" Eponine asked as they ate.

"Of course I do, don't you?"

"Well of course I do too, what do you remember about it?"

"Well I remember I was in a terribly bad mood with Marius as he'd insisted we stopped by the bakery on the way to class because he thought it would be nice to have some fresh pastries for our lunch. When you have classes with Marius you know that he's very rarely on time for any of them and I was not about to join him in being late to everything so I was rather impatient to move on. I was tapping my foot loudly in an attempt to pressure Marius into hurrying up counting out his change and I just happened to look out the window and see a rather scruffy girl looking back through and attempting to straighten out her skirt and hair though I'll say it made very little difference to her overall appearance."

"Hey, at least I tried." She nudged him playfully then let him continue.

"Well the girl came into the shop and greeted Marius, I won't lie to you here, this annoyed me even more as I knew he was now bound to stop and talk when he knew full well we did not have time for idle chit chat."

"I'm so glad your social skills have improved."

"Yes well… Anyway Marius greeted you as Eponine and I knew exactly who you were in that moment."

"You knew who I was?"

"Of course I did, Marius was always talking about 'his friend 'Ponine', there's no way any of us couldn't know who you were." At this Eponine's heart swelled a little, she may no longer have been infatuated with Marius but at the time she was and it made her happy to know he talked of her. "I remember how you blushed when I called you Mademoiselle and how you kept staring at me while I waited for Marius to pay the baker, however subtle you thought you were being, I saw every one of your glances." He laughed.

"Do you want to know what I thought of you then?" She asked in a teasing manner, knowing he'd probably object to her description.

"Very well, enlighten me with how uptight you thought I was."

"Well I thought you would have been quite handsome if you'd stopped scowling for just one second, I also thought you were a lot more formal than Marius and I wondered what it was that made you two opposites such good friends." She said matter-of-factly.

"Only quite handsome?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, only quite, don't push your luck!" The two of them sat and laughed for a few seconds longer before Eponine interrupted with a question. "What did Marius say to you after you'd left the bakery?"

"I don't remember."

"When he nudged you and then you seemed to lecture him, walking down the street?" She giggled at the memory.

"Oh.. That.. It was something along the lines of 'if you weren't so haughty and uptight all the time, you're totally the kind of guy she'd go for'" He replied then looked down at his lap and fiddled with his hands awkwardly.

"Well I guess he was kind of right wasn't he?"

"I guess he was."

An hour or so later the two of them were stood on the steps of Marius' grandfather's house waiting for the doorman to let them in.

"And you think your place is a bit much." Eponine whispered to Enjolras before a man in a suit came and guided them through the halls towards a large sitting room where Marius and Cosette were waiting for them.

"Eponine!" Cosette cried and ran to hug her friend. "Oh and Monsieur Enjolras, it's so good you're better at last!" She said as she pulled him in for a hug too leaving him awkwardly trapped in her arms.

"Enjolras." Marius said as he extended his hand for his friend.

"No need to be so formal Marius!" Cosette said as she pushed the two men together into a hug.

"Oh er, sorry Cosette. Eponine, it's good to see you again too." He said then pulled his old friend into a hug as well.

The two couples sat for hours discussing old times and updating each other on recent occurrences in their lives whilst drinking tea and eating sandwiches and cakes provided by the butler.

"We have some news for you." Cosette squealed after a while. "We're getting married!"

"Oh Cosette, that's wonderful news!" Eponine said and rushed to hug the other girl again.

"Congratulations Marius." Enjolras said. The two of them had spoken very little since their arrival, both Eponine and Cosette had tried to include them in their conversations but neither of them would properly address the other.

Eponine sat back down beside Enjolras and took his hand, she knew it was hard for both him and Marius. Here they were, sitting in a ridiculously lavish house surrounded by luxuries when all their friends had perished fighting against all this. The elite upper classes were still running the city and the poor still had very little say. Their rebellion had really done very little except kill their friends. Enjolras responded by squeezing her hand slightly and nodding to her that he knew what she was thinking and he was grateful for her being there.

"This has been a most enjoyable reunion but I think it's best Enjolras and I head home now, it's been his first day out the house and I don't want to tire him out too much." Eponine said, standing and reaching out her arm for Enjolras to support himself with when he stood.

"We shall call you a carriage home." Cosette responded at once though Eponine was quick to dismiss the idea.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary, it's a not a long walk and the evening air will do us both good. Thank you for everything though Cosette."

"It's been pleasure." The girl replied and hugged her friends one last time before they made their way back to the door.

"I hope to see you both again some time soon, we shall send you our wedding invites in the post." Marius said from her side and pulled them both into a hug one last time. The hug between Marius and Enjolras this time was less rigid, Eponine knew that they both needed each other though neither one of them would admit it and the hug between the two was their way of letting each other know.

As the couple strolled down the cobbled streets of the city, back towards their house, they swung their hands lightly between them and Eponine would look over at Enjolras every now and again and smile at the way the moonlight bounced off his face, illuminating it. He was beginning to look more and more like his old self each day, his square jawline looked as though it could cut glass again, his hair had regained its golden glow and his eyes were beginning to sparkle again.

"I can see you staring at me you know." He said once, not looking down at her, just staring ahead.

"I know, but you're not stopping me." Enjolras just shook his head and laughed slightly, continuing to walk looking straight ahead.

It wasn't long before the streets narrowed as they veered off the main road and followed the smaller side streets back to the house. Eponine still loved the city streets at night, just as she had done for all those years she'd been made to stand around watching out the for the police when in reality she'd be looking around and taking note of every building she could see.

She recognised the road they were on immediately and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Enjolras why are we here?" She asked, panic thick in her voice.

"It's the quickest way back to the house." He replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"But you know what's on this road?"

"Oh shit."

"It's fine, I know another way back from here, there's a small alleyway on the left just up here we can turn down and that takes us back just as quick."

"No."

"What?"

"I need to go back to the cafe some day, why not today?" He asked, turning to look her dead in the eye.

"Are you sure? I mean it hasn't been long since-"

"I'm sure. I can't put this off forever." He said, taking her hand again and leading the way to the familiar doors where the words "Cafe Musain" still hung.

Eponine took a deep breath and rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand as he placed his free hand on the wooden panel of the door and pushed it slightly. A small creak escaped from the hinges though the door opened with no difficulty.

"It's so weird to be back here, everything looks the same." He said quietly, and he was right. Though the room was now empty as all the furniture had been thrown onto the barricade the walls were still the same shade of green with patches of paint peeling off all the way round the room. Bottles lay disregarded on the floor, no doubt some of them had been Grantaire's, half burned candles hung on the walls reminding them of the time the room had been warm and bright.

They climbed what was left of the stairs and sat at the top, dangling their feet down over the floor below. By the moonlight shining through the window Eponine could see a box of matches and a candle lying not too far from her so she picked them up and made a source of light for the two of them.

"Whats this?" She asked, picking up a piece of paper that sat on the windowsill just above her head.

"Friends of the ABC. There will come a time…" Enjolras mumbled as he read from the page. "It's one of my speeches."

"You don't have to read that." Eponine gasped and placed her hand on his knee.

"Friends of the ABC." He continued, "There will come a time when we are engaged in battle with then enemy and I am unable to say this to each of you individually so I shall say it to you now. You are all brave men, fighting for what you know is right, you shall not be forgotten in this world. Do not listen to the cynics, everything you have done up until now has been worth it and everything you do from now on will be worth it too. Believe in yourselves, believe in the cause and look out for one another, we'll all see the change one day." Enjolras dropped the piece of paper to his side and broke down in tears. Eponine draped her arms over his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug, not knowing what to say she hoped that her actions would be able to speak for her.

Once Enjolras had regained some composure they decided it was best to leave the cafe and continue home. Eponine placed the folded up speech back on the windowsill exactly as she had found it before and then helped Enjolras back onto the ground floor.

When they stepped back out onto the street the two of them turned around to look up at the building they'd once loved so much, Eponine had left the candle she'd lit burning on the windowsill for everyone in the street to see. There it served as a sign of remembrance for their friends who had fallen in that very spot.

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><p><strong>AN Thanks for reading guys, this one had a bit more of a plan than my last chapter but not an amazing amount so I hope it makes sense and you all like it, leave me a review and let me know.  
><strong>**In other news, there's only one chapter to go! I'm going to miss this story! The last chapter should be up at the weekend and after that I'll probably wait a week or two before I post my next one so bear with me until then.  
><strong>**Thanks again, laters :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Their Lives

**A/N So here it is, the last chapter! I'm sad this has come to an end but I hope you all enjoy this final installation.**

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><p>Eponine leant down by the door to pick up the envelope that had just fallen onto the doormat, she turned it over and read the beautiful handwriting addressing the letter to both herself and Enjolras. Walking through into the kitchen, where Enjolras was sitting, she began to open the envelope to see what was inside.<p>

"Who's it from?" Enjolras asked when she sat down beside him.

"It's my sister. She's getting married." Eponine replied, a large grin spreading across her face as she read the invitation.

"When's the wedding?" He asked, reading the invite over her shoulder.

"The 23rd of May. That's so soon! How exciting!" Eponine squealed. "I must find a dress!"

It had now been almost a year since the barricades, in that time Eponine and Enjolras had become closer than ever. They were like any other couple, their relationship littered with disagreements and minor arguments, with two people as strongly opinionated as them these were bound to happen, though they never lasted too long and they always knew the other would be there when they needed them.

Enjolras had discovered a talent for writing and had found a job writing articles for a paper in the city, allowing him to voice his opinions to a larger audience, though perhaps not as strongly as he would have liked. The charges of treason against his name had been forgotten about after other cases arose in the city and nobody cared anymore about Enjolras and his failed uprising. Eponine, having found herself bored sat at home each day, had gone in search of a job and ended up working in a small bookshop, a move that Enjolras had been very much in support of as not only did he think Eponine would benefit from having a job but she could bring him books.

Each day after their respective working days ended the couple would meet outside the bookshop and go for a walk before returning home where Eponine would cook dinner and they would spend the rest of the evening sat together on the sofa in the library reading before finally retiring to bed ready to repeat the routine the next day.

The cafe had been refurbished in February and reopened in March and they had visited it one day a few weeks after it had opened to see what it was like now. The rooms looked almost exactly the same, the menu was almost identical and the sounds and smells when you walked through the door were so similar that someone who had only visited the cafe on a passing visit once could have been mistaken in thinking nothing had changed, but to Enjolras and Eponine there was something lacking. The new owners had often visited the cafe before the barricades and knew how it had been hence why it was so similar now but of course they were unable to restore the friendly banter and conversations of their friends who had once filled the tables each evening. Enjolras and Eponine would walk past the cafe each day and look up at the first floor window, neither of them speaking but both thinking the same thoughts, neither of them wanting to go in, both of them content to stand and let a new crowd of people make it their place of friendship.

The day of the 23rd came very quickly and soon the two of them were stood in the hall in their house, before the large mirror, checking over their appearances one more time before the carriage arrived to take them to Azelma's wedding.

"Oh Enjolras, how exciting is this? My little sister is all grown up and getting married!" Eponine said as the gently poked at her hair, making sure it was all in the right place.

"It is rather exciting." He replied while straightening his tie and tucking it inside his jacket.

"I just wish Gavroche was here to see this." She said, a little sadly.

"He'll be there Ep, you know him, anywhere he could get, anything he could be involved in, he'd be there." Enjolras said taking her in his arms and gently placing a kiss on her forehead. The carriage arrived a few seconds later and the two of them made their way to the wedding.

When they arrived they were greeted by Marius and Cosette standing outside waiting for them.

"Oh Eponine, I love your dress!" Cosette gushed as she pulled her friend into a hug.

"Yours too Cosette, it's beautiful!" Eponine replied before returning herself to Enjolras' arm as she had been before.

"Can you believe Azelma's getting married today? It seems like just yesterday we all lived together at Montfermeil. Looks like it's just you two left to tie the knot now." Cosette said while smirking and waving her finger between Enjolras and Eponine.

"Yes. Well." Enjolras said awkwardly before changing the subject. "Shall we go inside?"

Marius and Cosette's wedding had been a huge affair, half the city knew of it and nearly all of them attended. Cosette's dress had cost a fortune, it truly was beautiful but slightly unnecessary in Eponine's opinion. Azelma and Luc's wedding today was a much smaller gathering, just some of their friends as well as Luc's family and a few other people. Eponine watched in awe as her sister glided down the aisle in a beautiful white dress, simple yet incredibly elegant.

After the ceremony a small reception was laid on at Luc's parents' house and all guests were invited to join them and pay their respects to the bride and groom. Eponine, Enjolras, Marius and Cosette shared a carriage there and the girls spent the ride discussing how lovely the wedding was while the two men discussed how work was going for each of them as Marius now worked for a small law firm in the city, a job that had been found for him by his grandfather.

When they arrived at the reception they were introduced by the doorman as Mr and Mrs Pontmercy and Mr and Mrs Enjolras, an introduction which Eponine and Enjolras giggled at a little though neither of them corrected him.

"Eponine!" Eponine heard and turned around to see Azelma walking towards her with her arms outstretched. "I'm so glad you came, how did you enjoy the wedding?"

"It was perfect 'Zelma, you looked stunning, the setting was gorgeous, everything was perfect." He smiled and hugged her sister tightly.

"I'm glad you thought so! Looks like it's just you two left now." She said, a mischievous look on her face.

"People really need to stop saying this." Eponine laughed and intertwined Enjolras' fingers with her own, pulling his body closer to hers and laughing into his shoulder a little.

"We won't stop saying it until it happens, everyone knows you're the perfect couple." The three of them stood looking between each other for a few seconds before Luc came over and joined them.

"Congratulations Luc." Enjolras said, breaking the silence and shaking his hand.

"Thank you Enjolras, it's good to have you both here." He said before turning to Azelma. "Come my dear, my uncle wishes to congratulate us."

"Oh ok, thank you so much for coming Eponine, I'm glad you enjoyed it." She said hugging her sister once more before taking Luc's hand and walking away from them. "Remember what I said!" She shouted back over her shoulder to them.

A few weeks later and Eponine was sat behind the counter at the bookshop she worked at flicking through a copy of a book on gardening, something she had very little interest in but that day had been so boring that she almost enjoyed reading the book.

"Miss Eponine, it's past five, you may go home now." Her boss, Monsieur Olivier, said as he approached the desk.

"Oh no Monsieur, it's fine, I need to wait for Enjolras to arrive anyway."

"Ah yes, your.. Husband?" Mr Olivier asked, tilting his head to one side in thought.

"No Monsieur, Enjolras is not my husband." Eponine laughed.

"Your fiancé then?" He suggested.

"No, he's just my boyfriend."

"Ah you young people, you don't realise how precious love is. My Sylvie was like that at your age, she truly was stunning, she had long hair very much like yours and the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes that I got lost in every time I looked at her."

"What happened to her?" Eponine asked.

"We married in the spring of 1789. It was a perfect wedding, blossom was covering every tree for miles around and on the day of our wedding the sun shone brightly through the branches making everything a beautiful shade of pink. I was 22 then, for 39 years we were happily married until she caught a terrible flu in 1828, she died just weeks before our 40th wedding anniversary.

"I'm sorry to hear that Monsieur Olivier"

"It's in the past now my dear, we can't change what's already happened and I know she wouldn't like me to dwell on it. I kept the shop open in her memory, it had been our joint project when we were younger and keeping it open seems to keep a little part of her alive within me. I'm sorry I'm going off topic now, what I'm trying to say is don't waste the time you have together, because you never know when it will be taken away from you. You and this Enjolras seem like the perfect couple to me, there's no reason why the two of you should not be married." Eponine sat still and and silent, not knowing how to respond to her boss's words. "Ah look, there he is now, I shan't keep you any longer. Goodnight Eponine."

Eponine left the shop, her mind racing with everything she'd just been told. When she saw Enjolras she immediately hugged him, not even bothering to speak to him first.

"Well hello to you too." Enjolras laughed. "Good day?"

"I guess so.." Eponine replied, taking his hand in hers and beginning to walk down the street away from the shop.

"Eponine, did you see what the date was today?" Enjolras out of the blue.

"The sixth of June, why?" Eponine thought for a second then realised. "Oh."

"Yes."

"A whole year."

"Indeed."

Neither of them really knew what to say. A whole year since the barricades. A whole year since they lost all their friends.

"Would you like to visit the cafe?" Eponine asked.

"You know, today I think I actually would. Today we shall drink to days gone by and remember our friends in the place we all loved the most." Enjolras said decisively.

Soon the two of them were sat at a table upstairs in the middle of the room looking around at the unfamiliar faces that now gathered there where they once had.

"It's almost like they're still here." Eponine whispered. "I remember sitting here once with you and Grantaire and right now I feel as if he's sat right next to me."

"I know what you mean, I feel as though Courfeyrac and Gavroche will burst in any second laughing far too loudly and falling over each other and completely disturb the peace." Enjolras laughed slightly sadly.

"I'm sure I can hear Bahorel betting Bossuet out of every penny he owns and Feuilly laughing his loud, infectious laugh as he watches on."

"Somewhere over there I bet Jehan is boring Joly and Combeferre to death with some new poem he's made up"

"I miss them Enjolras."

"I miss them too Eponine. I miss them more every day, knowing we'll never actually see or hear them again kills me inside, it really does but you told me yourself, when I was recovering, we're our last links to them now and that's why we have to stay together." Enjolras replied, holding her hand tightly in his, across the table.

"I know and I count myself so lucky to have you by my side every day, I wouldn't be anywhere near what I am today without you Enjolras."

"I feel exactly the same." Enjolras said in a quiet voice, his eyes fixed on a spot on the table. "Come on, I think we've been here long enough now, I think I need some fresh air."

Eponine agreed and they walked back outside into the street. The street itself had remained exactly the same, a fact which made her both happy and sad at the same time. She had fond memories of walking up to the cafe and seeing the glow from the upstairs window when a meeting was in progress or times when she would walk around the square with Marius and share news of their days with each other. Her favourite memory of this small cobbled street though was the night her and Enjolras ran home in the rain, laughing and not having a care in the world. However, all of these happy memories were now tainted by the terrifying ones of watching her friends shot by the national guard or stepping over her little brother's lifeless body as it lay, abandoned on the cobbles and one of the images that haunted her most was that of the pools of blood covering the square. To this day she could still picture that horrifying sight though she tried so hard to forget it.

Heading towards the river now the two of them walked in a comfortable silence, just the sounds of their footsteps filling the space around them. The moon shone brightly above them causing a glowing reflection to be projected onto the ever moving water below. Finding a wooden bench just beside a bridge over the river they sat down and looked out at the city before them.

"You know I slept under this bridge the night before I first spoke to you." Eponine thought out loud.

"Under this bridge?!" Enjolras repeated in disbelief.

"Yes, it really wasn't a comfortable night." She laughed "Isn't it strange how that was only just over a year ago and yet look at me now, I'm worlds away from how I was back then."

"And I'm glad of it. Eponine, you mean the world to me, you know that. I've been thinking about this for some time now and I feel as though tonight might finally be the right time to say it. Whilst this day is tainted with sadness I'd prefer to make it a happy occasion to remember, one our friends would very much enjoy being part of. Eponine, what I want to ask is.. I want to say.. I'd like to ask you.. Oh look at this, I've made so many speeches before and written so many articles yet tonight I just can't form a single sentence." He took a deep breath in and knelt beside the bench, pulling a small box from his jacket pocket and opening it to reveal a silver ring with a small, sparkling diamond sitting proudly on it. "Eponine, would you do me the honour of being my wife?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course I will!" Eponine squealed and he placed the ring on her finger before standing again and picking her up, spinning her round as he did so.

"I'm so happy you said yes!" He said, his grin never faltering. "Tomorrow we shall tell everyone and soon you shall be Mrs Eponine Enjolras."

"Look at you organising everything again." Eponine laughed.

"I seem to remember you once telling me you liked that about me." He smirked in reply.

"And you told me you'd never change, I'm glad to see you haven't." She said smiling and he pulled her towards himself before kissing her under the shimmering light of the moon.

**The End.**

* * *

><p><strong>AN So there you go! It's all over! Such a cliche ending, I couldn't resist! I hope this final chapter tied up all the loose ends for you and I seriously hope you've all enjoyed reading this story over the past few months as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Also I couldn't resist sticking in a few lyrics here and there so nice one if you spotted them.  
><strong>**I'll probably take a few weeks off posting now so I can get my next story properly ready but I hope you all stick with me to read that when it starts.  
><strong>**Thank you again to everyone for all your reads, reviews, follows and favourites, you guys are the reason I stuck with this story even when I thought it wasn't going right.  
><strong>**That's it for Chance Encounters now so I'll see you all soon, thanks x**


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